Born To Die
by BeccaJoy
Summary: "They're going to take you from me, no matter what happens. If I win, if you win. If another tribute wins. I'll still lose you." "Nobody ever wins the Games, Cato." -The 74th Annual Hunger Games, Clove & Cato POV-
1. No Church In The Wild

**Cato's POV**

* * *

_Tears on the mausoleum floor_  
_Blood stains the coliseum doors_  
_Lies on the lips of a priest_  
_Thanksgiving disguised as a feast_

_Rollin' in the Rolls-Royce Corniche  
Only the doctors got this, I'm hidin' from police  
Cocaine seats  
All white like I got the whole thing bleached_

* * *

As I walk through the hoards of people toward the center of the Square, I can feel someone watching me. Of course someone's watching you, dumbass. Thousands of people are watching you. I banish the thought from my head as quickly as it came, but the uneasiness I feel remains. Yes, people are watching me. Just as they have for the past six years. It's hard to miss us. Hundreds of children, dressed in black as we walk solemnly from the front gates of our Training Center to the center of town where the Reaping is held every year. I take a quick glance to the side, noting that nearly everybody is staring at us with wide eyes, bowing their heads slightly as we pass. A silent gesture of thanks. As much as they fear us, they owe the lives of their children to us. And for that, they are eternally grateful.

I feel something brush against my elbow as I make my way to the check-in table. Turning around, I see no one. The realization hits me and I smile to myself as I look down. Sure enough, it's Clove. She's fifteen, but hardly looks it. Barely skimming five feet tall, she's not much bigger than she was the day she and her sister arrived at the Training Center. The day I knew I would never look at another girl the same way.

"What are you doing here?" I whisper. My voice comes off a little harsh, but I don't mean it. She knows that.

"I just wanted to tell you good luck, that's all." she shrugs.

I laugh, loosening up. "You did. Last night. Many times as I recall."

Clove rolls her eyes and pushes my arm, "I won't see you for a few weeks. I'll miss you."

My Clove, she's so confident in my return. I am as well, but it is as if she has never doubted my victory in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Not even for a moment. I'd like to say the same for myself, but I have considered the possibility that there may be someone in the arena who can defeat me. The idea is ludicrous, really. I am the strongest in the Training Center. I was chosen for these Games by the time I was fifteen. No one has defeated me, ever. What threat could the other districts pose? District 2 has the most victors, and an extremely organized system to train its future tributes. That combined with the fact that my one and only weakness will be safe here at home, the others are no match for me.

I pull Clove closer to my side, and as discreetly as possible, lean down to kiss the top of her head.

"I'll miss you so much. Everything I do in there, is for you. For us. You are my reason to fight."

Clove says nothing. But she doesn't have to. I know she knows. I release her from my tight grip as we approach the table. There will be a bruise there, no doubt. All the better. It will give her something to remember me by. Not that she needs any more reminders. Her wrists, thighs, and collarbone are covered in bruises and bite marks. She has left her mark on me as well, if the deep claw marks on my back are any evidence.

I reach the front of the line and hold my index finger out to the Peacekeeper, not so much as blinking as she takes my blood.

"Cato Rovati, Male, 18." The Peacekeeper stupidly announces, as if I had suddenly forgotten my own name. I would have been struggling to figure that out for hours, thank you. I laugh to myself though I wouldn't dare say it. Not here. Not today.

I step away from the line, locking eyes with Clove before I turn away. I make my way to the front with the other eighteen year olds. Not surprisingly, they all clear a path for me as I arrive, and I take my place in the front, closest to the stage. Those who train with me in the Training Center know that this is my year, that I will be the one going to the Capitol. Those who don't wouldn't dare stand in my way after seeing the identification tags around my neck.

The stage is empty and the clock reads 1:45. Fifteen minutes to go. I narrow my eyes at the clock, willing it to move faster. I just want to get this over with. The sooner I am on the train to the Capitol, the sooner I can win the Games and return home.

"Ready for your moment of glory?" I recognize the annoyingly high pitched voice before I even bother to see who it's owner is.

"Cassia, my moment of glory will be when I finally get to send my sword through your heart before they declare me the winner. That is, if someone else doesn't kill you first."

Surprisingly, Cassia has enough intelligence to keep her mouth shut. Compared to spending the next week with my sad excuse for a district partner, the arena is nothing. Cassia has always wanted me. Ever since the day we both arrived to the Training Center as twelve year olds, she followed me around like a lost puppy. But I didn't want her then, and I especially didn't want her after I met Clove. But Cassia never quite got over her crush, and has hated Clove ever since.

Every year, the past victors choose two trainees to compete in that year's Games. Only the strongest, smartest, and most cunning are chosen. Most of the time, these are eighteen year old Trainees, like myself and Cassia. But there have been exceptions.

I glance up to check the clock, and my eyes lock with Audrina's. Clove's older sister, and my mentor and best friend. Her sad brown eyes remind me all too well of those exceptions. She gives me an encouraging smile as she takes her seat among the other twenty three District 2 victors. Five minutes to go.

As my eyes scan the crowd for Clove, it occurs to me that if we were really looking for the strongest, smartest and most cunning trainee, she would be going into the arena with me. Clove could defeat Cassia blindfolded with one hand tied behind her back, even with the massive height and weight difference. But Audrina and Enobaria would never let that happen. Not again.

My thoughts are interrupted as Panem's anthem starts to blare through the speakers, bringing me back to reality. The mayor steps forward and begins to tell the long and incredibly redundant story of how the nation was built, followed by the equally boring Treaty of Treason. I tune them out entirely as I brace myself for what I must do. Knowing very well that this could be the last time I see my home. I may be confident in my abilities, maybe even a little arrogant, but I am not stupid. And I have seen far to many Games to know that while the odds may appear to be in my favor, that is not always the case.

Finally, the mayor finishes his long winded speech, and introduces our District's escort, Seraphina. Obnoxious as ever, Seraphina flips her impossibly long and shiny black hair over her shoulder and reaches into the boys' Reaping bowl, stabbing a small slip of paper with her razor sharp, pointed nails. Nothing new there.

"Cato Rovati," Seraphina calls out, scanning the crowd.

My heart drops to my stomach. Surely I didn't hear that right.

"How convenient," Cassia snarls, her voice dripping with contempt.

I look up and meet Audrina's eyes, filled with a mixture of confusion and utter terror. Enobaria nods, and I make my way to the stage, more than a little shaken. I compose myself by the time I reach the podium, but there are still a million thoughts spinning in my head. Why did she call me? What are the chances of that? I know my name is in there seven times, but out of thousands?

I vaguely hear Seraphina ask for volunteers. Of course no one does. They know who I am. They know where I came from. They knew this would be the outcome regardless.

Seraphina gestures for me to move aside as she struts to the second Reaping bowl. I snap out of my daze and force myself to concentrate. I turn around to find Audrina. She is almost directly behind me, her eyes wide with fear, muttering unintelligible words. Enobaria is behind her, her hands wrapped tightly around Audrina's shoulders.

I turn my attention back to Seraphina, but not before catching Audrina's words.

"Something's wrong. This isn't right. It's happening again." She's mumbling the phrases over and over, each time getting louder despite Enobaria's efforts to calm her. What does she mean, this isn't right?

Seraphina reaches her claw-like nail into the girls' Reaping bowl, stabbing a slip of paper dramatically before bringing it closer to her eyes.

"Clove Prescott," she calls out. And I swear my heart stops.

"No!" I hear Audrina scream from behind me, but it is a distant sound.

My head is spinning, millions of thoughts clashing together all at once and I can't concentrate on one thing. I feel dizzy and nauseous and I can't breathe. My eyes find Clove as she extracts herself from the crowd and walks toward the stage. She is completely composed. Her eyes are cold and dead. She shows no fear. Whatever she may be feeling on the inside does not betray her.

"Any volunteers?" Selene asks.

The crowd is silent. My eyes find Cassia, silently begging her to step up like she is supposed to. She smiles and slowly shakes her head. Of course not. She hates Clove. She hates me for rejecting her. And now she has been given a chance for revenge, and escaped the Arena with her life.

"Very well then, Mayor?"

The Mayor motions for Clove and I to face each other as he reads the Treaty of Treason. Staring into her eyes, they still look dead, just as she was trained to do. I feel a surge of pride run through me. She was born for this. She was meant for the Games. She is skilled in ways I have never seen, and I have no doubts that she could easily kill everyone in the arena, even me. I come to the decision that I will protect her. Not that she needs it, but I will do everything in my power to keep her alive. And when the time comes that everyone else is dead, I'll kill myself if she won't do it.

"Tributes, shake hands."

I reach out for Clove's tiny hand, gripping it in mine tightly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your tributes for the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Cato Rovati and Clove Prescott!"

The anthem begins to play, and we are surrounded by Peacekeepers and taken into the Justice Building. Neither Clove or I say a thing as we are lead through the Justice Building and out through the back doors, where a car are waiting to take us, Selene, and our mentors to the train station. We don't get an hour to say goodbye to family in District Two. They stopped it once they realized it was pointless, kids in the Training Center don't have family. That's why we're there.

The car ride is awkward at best. Seraphina babbles on about how she's so happy we don't have to waste an hour at the Justice Building, and how we will arrive in the Capitol a day before any other tributes, giving us an advantage. I don't see how that's an advantage, just one more day of being held prisoner in a strange place. Enobaria looks angry. Audrina's eyes swollen, red, and glassy. I can't even bring myself to look at Clove. I need to remain in control of my emotions. There are cameras everywhere, watching our every move. If I show weakness, we won't get sponsors, and I need sponsors if I'm going to keep her alive.

The second we arrive at the train station, the car is surrounded by reporters and photographers. Clove's eyes widen with panic and I find myself wishing I could hold her and never let go. But I can't. Not now at least. We're not just Training Center orphans anymore. We're tributes and we have appearances to keep up.

* * *

"I'll show you to your rooms," Seraphina says as soon as the train is moving. "We'll be in the Capitol early tomorrow morning, probably before sunrise."

I nod, following her and Clove down a long hallway. The train is nothing like I've ever seen before. District Two is blessed to be one of the wealthiest Districts in Panem, but compared to the luxury of the train, we might as well be District Twelve.

"Cato, you'll be in this room," she motions to a door on the left of her.

"And Clove in this one," she continues, pointing to the door directly across from mine. "You'll find clothes in the closets, feel free to wear whatever you'd like. Dinner will be in a few hours. You can rest until then."

Without another word, she leaves us. The tension in the hallway is palpable. Clove won't look at me. She reaches for the handle of her door, but I grab her arm and pull her into my room in one swift motion. I shut and lock the door behind us and turn to face Clove. Her back is pressed against the door, and she is looking down.

"Clove," I say, shaking her shoulders. "Look at me. Dammit Clove, look at me!"

"I can't, Cato!" she says, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Why not?" I yell, louder than I meant to.

"Because if I look at you, I'll cry. And if I start crying I'll never be able to stop."

Angrily, I let go of her arms and move to the other side of the room. I reach for a vase on the table and throw it on the ground. Then a lamp. A framed picture of President Snow. A clock that looks expensive. Anything and everything that I can break, I break it.

"Cato!" Clove screams, and I realize I had been tuning her out in my anger. She is standing in front of me, her small hands on my chest. "Cato, stop! Please!"

"Why?" I yell back. "What are they going to do to me? Kill me? Kill everyone I love? Last time I checked they already promised to do that."

"Just stop! This isn't going to fix anything!"

"Maybe not, but it makes me feel better."

Anger and frustration flash through Clove's eyes and she turns on her heel, heading for the door.

"Clo, wait. Wait. Don't leave." I say, grabbing her arm and roughly pulling her back to me. We sit on the edge of the enormous Capitol bed.

"I can't deal with you when you're like this. I don't know what you want me to say, or do. I can't fix this. I don't know why this happened. But Cassia saw her way out and took it, just like any of us would have done."

I shake my head, anger building up in me.

"I have to go, Cato."

"No." I growl, reaching to pull her back.

She's quicker than me, though. She stands in the door frame, her doe eyes examining the disaster that has become my room. She looks up at me, and it's impossible to miss the pain in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that."

"I'm sorry, Cato. You know there's nothing we can do. It's over."

* * *

_Human beings in a mob_  
_What's a mob to a king?_  
_What's a king to a god?_  
_What's a god to a non-believer?_  
_Who don't believe in anything?_

_We make it out alive_  
_All right, all right_  
_No church in the wild_

* * *

**Author's Note: The 74th Annual Hunger Games, from Clove and Cato's POV. Extended version of _Glory and Gore_. AU. Enjoy! x**

**For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog: borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**Lyrics: No Church In The Wild - Jay Z ft. Kanye West and Frank Ocean**


	2. Everybody Wants To Rule The World

**Clove's POV**

* * *

_Welcome to your life_  
_There's no turning back_  
_Even while we sleep_  
_We will find you_  
_Acting on your best behavior_  
_Turn your back on Mother Nature_

* * *

I slam my door behind me and lock it before I have the chance to change my mind. I lean my back against the cold, hard wood and slowly sink to the floor, bringing my head into my hands.

"Clove! Dammit, Clove, open this door right now!"

I bite my lip until I taste the familiar warm saltiness of blood on my tongue, and even then I don't stop. I need the pain. The pain keeps me grounded. Pain has been my one constant. Pain won't betray me.

"Clove!" Cato screams, pounding on the door with his fists.

I shouldn't be sitting here. I know better than anyone that Cato could break down this door if he really wanted to. I wince as the pounding continues, biting down on my lip harder. I will not cry. I refuse to cry.

"Clove, please. Please just say something. I just need to hear your voice."

His voice is softer now. He clearly realized that his previous approach wasn't working. Still, I don't answer him. Call it my innate sense of pride, or a lifetime of defiance and contempt, but I refuse to give in to him.

"Clo, come on. Please? Just talk to me. Tell me you're okay, and I'll go if that's what you want."

Cato's voice has quieted to a soft whisper. I know he must be sitting on the other side of the door, his ear pressed against it listening for my voice. So close to me, but so far away. I get up and make my way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. The more distance I put between us, the better. I know he'll eventually get the hint and leave, but it will be harder and harder for me to resist him when I am sitting so close, hearing all the pain and longing in his voice.

It's better this way anyways. He's not stupid. He knows that only one of us can come out of that arena. It's going to be him. I'm not going to let him pull this lovesick Romeo and Juliet bullshit and endanger the reputation of my entire district, my sister, my mentors. We're Trainees. We're Career tributes. We're the best in the eye of the Capitol. District Two worked hard to achieve its superiority above the other districts. My mother, father, brother, and sister all had a part in that and there's no way in hell I'm letting my boyfriend tear it down. I come from a bloodline of Victors. I was supposed to continue that bloodline. But since I will be the first Prescott to not win her Games, Cato needs to. Whether he likes it or not, this is his year. He's trained for this for his entire life. He's going home to District Two. Without me.

* * *

A few hours later, I have finally calmed down. After spending nearly twenty minutes trying to work out exactly how to operate the fancy Capitol showers, I finally managed to clean myself up. I now smell like lemons, instead of the musky scent of the Training Center. Although, I have to admit I kind of miss it. It reminded me of all the blood, sweat and tears it took me to get here. It was my home. The home I'll never return to.

My straight black hair has been dried and smoothed. It hangs sleekly down my back, reaching my waist. At home, I just pull it into a high ponytail or braid, and I hardly ever bother to brush it. It surprises me how much it's grown over the past few years.

I put on a pair of black leggings and a black tank top and decide to turn on the television. After flicking through all the channels, I finally find what I'm looking for. The recap of all the Reapings. Time to check out the competition, I think bitterly, laughing to myself. I know that the other tributes will hardly be competition. District One is trained, just like we are, but they are usually too vain and stupid to actually kill us. They have the beauty and the brawn, it's the brains they lack.

By the looks of it, this year is no different. District One's tributes are gorgeous blonde teenagers with glowing skin, shiny hair, and gleaming teeth. The boy, Marvel, practically throws the small reaped child off of the stage when he comes forth to volunteer. He stands at the edge of the stage, waving to the cameras and flexing his muscles. He's not hopeless, but he has nothing on Cato. No threat there. The girl, Glimmer, is the image of beauty by anyone's standards. She won't have any problems getting sponsors. The men of the Capitol adore girls like her. They invest all of their money on her in the arena so that they can have her when the Games are over. Unlike most children of the districts, I am not blind to the ways of the Capitol. I come from a family of Victors, I know that it doesn't end after they put a crown on your head.

Finally, the camera switches to District Two. I feel a pang in my chest as the camera sweeps over the elaborately decorated Square, the colorful outdoor market, the stone quarries, the massive mountain that houses Panem's Center of Defence, and the Training Center off in the distance. My mind won't let me forget that I will never be going back. I turn my attention away from the screen. I lived through the Reaping, I don't need to see it again. Cato's stunned face, Audrina's pleas and tears, its too painful.

After a few moments the screen moves to District Three. Its uneventful as always. District Three hasn't had a victor since Beetee. The Gamemakers haven't provided any wire or tools in the Cornucopia since he electrocuted all of the remaining tributes at once. Apparently it didn't make for a very exciting finale to the Games, and the Capitol was not entertained.

The District Four tributes look ridiculous as usual. After Finnick Odair's victory nine years ago, District Four became enamored with the riches showered upon them and began to secretly train tributes. Of course, the training in Four has never been as organized or respected as it is in Districts One and Two, but I have to give them props for trying. They managed to snag two more victors since Finnick. In the 70th Games Annie Cresta won, though, I still think her victory was a bit of a fluke. Then last year River Ford took the crown and became the Capitol's newest obsession. He's just a newer, younger version of Finnick, except a whole lot more arrogant. This years tributes are the same as usual, pretending to look deadly and intimidating for the cameras. They're nothing but cheap imitations of us as far as I'm concerned.

After District Four, the rest of the Reapings get pretty boring. In District Five, a small red haired girl named Brighton grabs my attention. I'm shocked by the way she stares into the camera, wide eyed and unblinking. Her district partner is a mess of sobs, but she remains still. She shows no emotion and no fear. District Five is electric, solar and nuclear power. I've heard that they take the most intelligent kids and put them in the labs to work. I decide that she must be intelligent, and unlike most Career tributes, I know that intelligence is not something to be ignored in the arena.

None of the other tributes capture my attention until District Eleven. The tributes could not be more different from each other. The girl, Rue, is a tiny little girl. She hardly looks like she should even be eligible for the Games. The male tribute is massive. Where Rue is a small child, Thresh looks like a fully grown man, too old to be eligible. I notice that he is strong. He is bigger and taller than Cato, and I wonder if we should ask him to be a part of the Career alliance. I doubt he'll go for it, considering the other districts are taught to hate us, but it's worth a shot. He's the only tribute I've seen so far that could be considered any kind of competition, though I doubt he will be a threat. He may be strong, but tributes from the outlying districts are typically simple-minded, and he wouldn't have the slightest idea how to use a weapon, much less actually kill somebody. Still, I make a mental note not to overlook him like we have in years past.

The Reaping in District Twelve starts out mundane as usual. A chill runs down my spine as the cameras pan over the Square, thankful that I come from a more affluent district. The difference between District Two and District Twelve is like night and day. The citizens are weak and starving. Terrified, hollow eyed children line up for the Reaping wearing tattered, dirty clothes as their coal dust covered parents look over them, knowing there is nothing they can do.

The ridiculously dressed escort struts up to the first bowl and pulls out the name of the female tribute. Slowly, a small blonde girl makes her way up to the stage. Great, another twelve year old. Contrary to popular belief I don't especially enjoy taking the lives of small children. My thoughts are interrupted by the commotion happening on stage.

"It seems that District Twelve has it's very first volunteer!" the escort exclaims excitedly, helping a skinny dark haired girl up to the stage.

I narrow my eyes at the screen. There's something different about her. The way she moves, the fire in her eyes. She's trained. I know its an impossible thought. Why on Earth would someone from District Twelve be trained? But still, I can't shake the feeling. She is skinny, but not starving. She is more lean and muscular than any of the other children in the district, though from the looks of her clothes I am sure she is not from the merchant part of town. The fire and determination in her eyes is something I have never seen in a tribute from an outlying district. She does not look scared, she looks like she wants to win. She is trained, I'm sure of it.

The Reaping recap is over, I missed the boy from District Twelve, but I'm sure he is just as helpless as the other children. The screen switches back to Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith, but their obnoxious Capitol accents frustrate me and I turn the television off.

I can't take my mind off of the girl from District Twelve. Pacing back and forth in my room, I find myself wanting to run to Cato and ask him what he thinks. He'll probably think I'm crazy, and tell me that there's no way a girl from Twelve would be trained. He'd probably be right anyways, but it doesn't matter. Cato is not an option anymore. I cannot depend on him like I have for the past five years. He needs to win this, and I cannot be a distraction. I am on my own.

* * *

"Clove?" My thoughts are interrupted by a soft voice at the door, "It's me."

I know without question that it's my sister, and I rush to open my door for her. We stare at each other for a moment before I throw myself into her arms. I can feel Audrina's tears on my neck and I hug her closer to me.

"Clove, I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

"It's not, Drina. How can it be your fault?"

"It is. Snow hates me. He's always hated me. For what I said in the arena. For loving Crisis. For breaking the rules. He knows I love you both. I'm Cato's mentor, it's my job to keep him alive. But you're my sister. You're the only family I have left and I can't let you die in there. I can't lose you, Clove. I've lost everyone else."

"Audrina, you'll have Cato. Cato deserves to win. This is his year."

"It was his year until they pulled your name out of the bowl. I'm not going to let my little sister die in there. That's what Snow wants."

"No," I argue, desperately trying to convince her to see my side. "What Snow wants is for you to make yourself insane seeing us in there. He wants to torment you. He wants to see you drive yourself to madness trying to keep us both alive and then breaking down when one or both of us dies."

"You're not going to die."

"Yes, Audrina, I am! Why don't you understand that? What do you expect me to do? Go through the whole games as Cato's ally and then kill him when we're the only two left? Is that what you want? For me to kill the only person who has ever loved me?"

"I love you!" Audrina screams, shaking my shoulders. "I've loved you since the day you were born. Everything I have ever done has been to protect you, to make you stronger! You're not going to throw that all away!"

"Do you understand the position you're putting me in?" I ask, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

Audrina sits next to me and massages her temples. Sitting here with her now I remember how young she actually is. She was fifteen when she went into her Games too. She was reaped, and no one volunteered for her. Being the oldest Prescott daughter, everybody knew it was her birthright to win the Games. At the time, she was the most skilled female tribute in the Training Center. Even the eighteen year old Trainee chosen to volunteer knew that Audrina was our best chance that year. Although he would never admit it, Crisis, Audrina's lover, volunteered to protect her. She didn't need anybody's protection, but Crisis would rather die in the arena to make sure that she came out alive than wait at home and watch her, not knowing if she would come back. Augustus, the chosen male Trainee, was furious. All of the mentors were furious. Never had someone interfered with the chosen Trainees. Icarus, the head of the Training Center punished Cato and I for Crisis's actions. As if seeing them in the Games together wasn't torture enough.

Audrina played her Games well. She played the part of a deranged, psychotic killer to a tee. She made every single one of her kills memorable. She was notorious for the way she would carve out the hearts of the tributes she killed. When I watched the games I felt like I was watching another person. The person on the screen was not my sister. It was Cato who explained to me that it was all an act. The Hunger Games is first and foremost a television show. The Capitol sees us how they want to see us, and it is our job to make it believable. We are trained to kill, yes. That doesn't mean we enjoy doing it. We put on a facade for the cameras. It terrifies the other tributes and excites the Capitol. More often than not, it results in our victory.

However, toward the end of the Games, Audrina began to crack. It was miserable watching it and knowing there was nothing I could do. She was overcome with rage and grief after Crisis's death. Somewhere around her third or fourth kill, she realized who the real enemy was. She began to speak out against the Capitol in the arena, and we all thought the Gamemakers would kill her. However, President Snow thought it was a better idea to let her win, and make the rest of her life a living hell. It's for that reason that I'm on my way to the Capitol right now instead of at home in District Two.

"Audrina," I start, my voice much calmer. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to die in there. But there's no way for us both to win, you know that."

"I know. But you should know that Cato and I have already discussed this. It was his idea, not mine."

"What do you mean?" I ask, though I have a feeling I know what she is going to say.

"That boy loves you, Clove. He would impale himself on his own sword if it meant saving your life. And that's exactly what he plans to do. He wants you to win, and he's willing to do just about anything to make sure you come out of that arena."

I feel my cheeks turning red, burning with anger. Rage is spreading throughout my entire body, and I find myself itching for one of my knives. I lunge at my sister, pinning her to the ground.

"If you let him die for me, Audrina, I swear to god I will come back and kill you myself!"

"It was his choice, Clove! Not mine!" Audrina pushes me off of her and pins me down beneath her.

"Oh, I'm sure you had your fair share of influence over him." I snarl, raking my fingernails across her left cheek, leaving three bloody gashes.

Disgusted, I push her off of me before storming out of my room and into Cato's. However, he is not there. Fueled by my rage I make my way down the hallway and into the dining room. Cato, Seraphina, and Enobaria are sitting together, casually eating dinner as if nothing in the world is wrong. This angers me even more. How can they be so nonchalant? How can Cato not care? How can he have so easily given up on his own life, his own victory, that he has planned for so long?

I pick up a knife from the table and send it flying across the room. It lodges itself into Cato's chair, mere centimeters from his head. Seraphina shrieks, yelling something about mahogany, and then the room falls dead silent. Cato looks up at me, wide eyed and startled.

"When exactly were you planning on telling me about your fucking suicide mission?"

* * *

_There's a room where the light won't find you  
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down  
When they do, I'll be right behind you  
So glad we've almost made it  
So sad we had to fade it  
Everybody wants to rule the world_

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Olive, or _District11-Olive _for her amazing review, because it inspired me to keep writing instead of deleting this story like I wanted to. Enjoy Chapter Two! x**

******For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**********Lyrics: Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears (Cover by Lorde)**


	3. Hearts A Mess

**Cato's POV**

* * *

_Pick apart t__he pieces of your heart_  
_And let me peer inside_  
_Let me in_  
_Where only your thoughts have been_  
_Let me occupy your mind, a__s you do mine_

_You have lost  
To fear, doubt and distrust  
You just threw away the key  
To your heart_

___You don't get burned_  
_It makes it easier_  
_But that much more difficult for me_  
_To make you see…_

* * *

I hardly blink an eye when Clove's knife whizzes past me and lodges itself into the chair next to my left ear. I've had more than my fair share of Clove's knives thrown at me to know that if she actually meant to hurt me, she would have done it a long time ago.

"Clove, stop. You're not thinking straight."

Clove laughs. It's a high pitched, demented sounding cackle. A laugh that has made me question if she might actually be criminally insane on more than one occasion. Not that it'd matter if she was. I'd just love her even more.

"_You_ have the fucking nerve to tell me _I'm _not thinking straight? Are you crazy?"

No, but I'm questioning your sanity with every passing second, I think.

"Clove," I stand up carefully and move toward her.

"No! You stay the _fuck_ away from me. How dare you tell me I'm not thinking straight when you're the one whose prepared to kill yourself for me?"

Clove is screaming now, and I can tell she's about two minutes away from having a full fledged meltdown. Seraphina looks desperate. Enobaria looks bored; she's seen this fight one too many times before. I'm sure when she won her games she had no idea she'd become the pseudo-mother for the orphaned Prescott girls.

"Cato, get your girl out of here. I doubt the Capitol looks highly upon mentors murdering their tributes before they get to the Capitol. It's never happened before but there's a first for everything."

I look up to find a very pissed off Audrina standing in front of me. There is blood dripping from three deep gashes on her cheek. One should never underestimate the deadliness of sharp fingernails. I grab Clove's wrist tightly and pull her closer to me. As much as Audrina loves her sister, I know better than to take her threat lightly. She may be our family, but she is a District Two victor, and no decent person has ever won the Games. I would kill or die for Audrina, but I have not forgotten the many scars Clove and I have from her knives. Audrina is a vicious killer. I would be stupid to forget that.

Clove is still fighting my grasp, and I have to credit her strength. She's not going down so easily.

"Clove. Clove, look at me." I grab her chin with my free hand and forcing her to look into my eyes, "You're coming with me. And if you fight it, I'll drag out out of here kicking and screaming if I have to. Try me."

"No!" Clove screams, spitting in my face. Anger boils in my gut and I grit my teeth to keep from lashing out. One thing that Clove has not yet learned is to control her rage. Thankfully, I have.

"No! No! You can't do this to me. I fucking _hate _you! I hate you, Cato! And I hate you more, Audrina. I wish you were going in the Arena with me, I'd kill you the second the gong rings."

Seraphina is in hysterics, and Audrina looks ready to kill someone. Rolling her eyes, Enobaria steps forward to help Seraphina to her feet and guides her back to her room.

"It's the same every year. Barbarians, every last one of them." Seraphina sobs.

"Tell me about it," Enobaria says, wrapping a protective arm around our escort. "At least you don't live with them."

"Cato, I'm serious. Get her out of my sight or I'll fucking kill her." Audrina hisses.

I pick Clove up and throw her over my shoulder with ease, "Let's go, little one."

She screams bloody murder in protest, but I tune her out and keep walking toward my room.

* * *

"Shut up." I yell, throwing a screaming Clove down on my bed, slamming and locking my door behind me.

I crawl onto the bed, holding her hips in place with my knees and pinning her arms to her sides so that she cannot move.

"Look at me, little girl. You need to remember where the fuck you are. There are peacekeepers watching our every move. Seraphina works for Snow. So does every other person on this train. There is only so much Enobaria can do to smooth things over. If word of your little incident gets to Snow, he might very well have you blown to bits within seconds of the gong. You know he can do it. You know he will. Then he'll kill me, and Audrina, and Enobaria, and everyone back home we care about. Just like he did to your parents and Orion."

I feel a sharp pang in my chest as the words leave my mouth. I know its harsh, and I know she doesn't deserve the cruelty I've just shown her, but it's all I know. I don't know how else to calm her down, or talk any sense into her.

Clove's screams turn into silent sobs and she finally lets go. All the pent up frustration, stress, and emotion pours out in her tears, racking her tiny body. Guilt courses through my veins as I pull her closer to me and hold her tightly. She fights back for a second, but gives in to my embrace. She doesn't have much fight left in her tonight.

"W-why would you say that to me?"

My heart aches. I hate that I have to say the things that will hurt her most in order to get her to listen to me.

"You know I had to, Clo. You never would have listened to me if I didn't."

"It's probably better if Snow just kills me right away in there."

"Don't say that, Clove."

"I've been saying a lot of things I don't mean since I got on this train. I just can't. I can't handle all of this stress. It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"You know it wasn't a coincidence, right?"

"Of course I know, Cato. I'm not an idiot. Snow's had it out for my sister for the last three years. All he needed was an opportunity to hurt her. He saw one and took it. He hurts his enemies by killing everyone they love, and then not allowing them the mercy of death."

"This runs deeper than Audrina, Clove. Why do you think he left you and your sister alive, when he slayed your entire family?"

"Because where's the fun in killing two little girls? Why not take away everyone they've ever loved, let them grow up without a family only to form new connections and new relationships, only to take those people away too. Audrina and I will suffer eternally for our father's crimes. And if we ever had children, so would they. It would go on for generations. He will never forgive the Prescotts."

"Snow is a sick, disturbed bastard," I whisper loud enough for only Clove to hear. "They're going to take you from me, no matter what happens. If I win, if you win. If another tribute wins. I'll still lose you."

"Nobody ever wins the Games, Cato."

Her words cut deep, but I know she's right. I'll never let her die for me, though. She has Audrina and Enobaria. They are her family. She has people who love her and need her. I don't. She has to leave the arena. I won't bring up my ulterior motives again. I already know how that will end, and I don't care to relive that particular fight. Instead, I lay down on the plush Capitol bed, pulling Clove into my arms and covering her with tiny kisses and bites.

"Cato, I-"

I silence her protests with my lips and pull her closer to me, slipping my hand underneath her thin black tank top. She moans into my mouth and I feel her body relax, giving in. I know I have won. For tonight at least, she is mine.

* * *

I jolt awake to the sharp knocks at the door and Seraphina's high pitched Capitol accent.

"Up, up! It's a big, big day, my tributes!"

I groan. We're here. Let the Games begin, I think bitterly.

"Clove, wake up. We're here."

"Mmm...are we home?" Clove mutters groggily. "Mom? Daddy?"

A wave of emotion crashes into me. In her sleep, Clove is innocent. She is a child. It's sometimes easy to forget with the black clothes and ever present scowl she wears. I softly shake her shoulders.

"No, Clo. We're in the Capitol. It's time to get off the train, everyone is waiting for us."

Clove's eyes fly open and she sits up straight, not bothering to cover herself with the sheets.

"We're here? _Shit._"

She grabs the sheet and wraps it around herself before darting out the door and across the hall to her own room. I stare at her clothes from the previous night, left on the floor, forgotten. I reluctantly roll out of bed and walk to the massive closet. I quickly get dressed, choosing dark pants, a tight, white v-neck t-shirt, a leather jacket, and leather combat boots. Menacing enough, I decide.

I gather Clove's clothes from the floor as well as my own and toss them into the closet, closing the door behind me. I take one last look at the room that was my temporary home, and my last safe place. I'm in the Capitol now, and that means there will be eyes on Clove and me at all times. The people there won't be as forgiving as the people on this train. Though I was here for less than twenty four hours, I can't help but feel sad leaving. It's silly, but I guess you'll never forget the last place you could truly be yourself. I'm walking into the jaws of death, and I have a reputation and a facade to keep up if I want to protect Clove and my district.

I close the door behind me before any more ridiculous thoughts cloud my mind. We're about to be seen by the Capitol citizens for the first time, and if we want them as our sponsors we need to deliver.

"Ready?" Clove asks, her voice flat and deadly.

I spin around and look at her, smirking at her appearance. Gone is the innocent little girl who was in my bed just moments ago, with her sleepy eyes, tangled hair, and tearstained cheeks. Clove is dressed head to toe in black: tight, shiny leather pants, black combat boots, and a tiny black tank top that shows both her stomach and a fair amount of cleavage. Her identification tags hang from her neck. Her long black hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and her eyes are rimmed with dark kohl, making her look lethal, sexy, and years older than she actually is. I have to hand it to her, she knows exactly what she's doing.

"Ah, there you are! Time to go, my tributes!" Seraphina squeals with delight, wrapping an arm around each of our shoulders and guiding us to the door.

"Now, you have a huge advantage over the other districts, because you're here first. They get to see you before they see anyone else, and you're the ones who set the bar for their standards. You need to make a first impression that they will not forget after the other tributes arrive. District One and Four have their beauty, but _you_ have another kind of beauty. You are as attractive as you are deadly, and you need to show them that. They're going to want to kiss you, kill you, or be you. And that is exactly what you want."

I stare at Seraphina in shock, and I can see that Clove is doing the same. Her blood red lips parting slightly. I have always thought of Seraphina as the beautiful, yet completely stupid District Two escort. The fact that such intelligent advice just came out of her mouth blows me away.

"What?" Seraphina says with contempt, noting our bemusement. "I'm not just another Capitol airhead. I have learned a few things being an escort for your district."

"Where are Audrina and Enobaria?" Clove asks, quickly changing the subject.

We're not easily surprised, and it makes us uncomfortable. Knowledge is power, and having someone get the better of us, even someone as irrelevant as Seraphina, is a weakness.

"They're already inside. They wanted to go up and get a head start on strategy while you meet your fans. I apologize, it seems that you'll be stuck with me for a bit."

"Don't apologize, Seraphina. Contrary to popular belief, we don't hate you. We're thankful for everything you do for us. Just don't go telling everyone that, we do have a reputation to keep up."

This time, it's her turn to be shocked. Her eyes widen and she is at a loss for words. I see Clove smirk, stifling a laugh.

"Very well then. Better get a move on, the beast is hungry."

* * *

"I think you did well!" Seraphina gushes, as the doors close behind us and dozens of Peacekeepers escort us to the elevator.

It doesn't slip my mind that we are officially under the custody of the Capitol. We are never leaving this place until we are launched into the arena. The past hour was a complete nightmare. More so for Clove than for me. Clove has a thing about people touching her. There are exactly three people she allows to put their hands on her: Enobaria, Audrina, and myself. If anybody else does, she'll break their wrist. I've seen her do it before. Several times.

The amount of self control and restraint she had just now amazes me. The Capitol citizens are disgusting people. The females, with their sticky lipstick, powdery faces and outlandish wigs, fawned over me. They pulled me away from Seraphina and Clove the second I stepped off the train. That didn't bother me as much as the men did. They were old men, desperately trying to hide their age with makeup and their surgically altered plastic skin. I still can't get the images out of my head; their hands all over my Clove, shouting vulgar and inappropriate things at her. It made my blood boil. I'm still not sure how we survived it without killing anybody. We must have been excellent actors if Seraphina actually thinks it went well. Though, she could just be lying to make us feel better.

"Now, since the last district, Twelve, won't be here until tomorrow morning, the Opening Ceremonies won't be held until tomorrow night. Tomorrow morning, we'll take you to the Remake Center where you'll meet your prep teams and stylists. For today, feel free to relax. The entire floor is yours."

The elevator comes to and the doors open.

"Come, come. I'll show you around and then you'll be free to do as you please."

She leads us through the vast quarters. Everything in here looks too expensive to touch. She shows us the dining room, the living room, and the entertainment room. Like we'll even have time for "entertainment" while we're here.

"The avoxes will attend to any of your needs. They are our servants. They do not speak, and they are not to look you directly in the eye. They will follow whatever orders you give them. Ah, here are your rooms. Cato, yours is here, and Clove, you'll be across the hall. Any questions?"

"No. Actually, Seraphina, I think we're both just feeling a little exhausted. You did wake us up _very _early this morning. You wouldn't mind just leaving us, would you?"

I laugh at Clove's sugarcoated tone. However, Seraphina does not seem to catch on. She believes that Clove is actually being polite.

"Of course, my sweet girl," Seraphina coos, reaching out to stroke Clove's hair.

I see Clove's muscles tense and her jaw tighten, but she does not react. Instead, she gives Seraphina a forced smile.

"In fact, I'm feeling a bit worn down too. Remember, if you need anything at all, just ask an avox!"

With that, Seraphina is off, clacking away in her sky high black stilettos. Without another word, I swiftly pull Clove into my room. Gently, I lead her to my bed. She sits on the edge, and for the first time all morning, she relaxes. It's as if she can only truly be herself around me. With everyone else, she is on guard, muscles tensed and ready to fight. With me, she doesn't need to. I kneel down next to her and take her hands into my own.

"Are you okay?" I ask, looking into her deep brown eyes.

She stares back at me for a few moments before shaking her head. My heart sinks and I move to sit next to her, wrapping my arms around her.

"It's so awful, Cato. I can't shake the feeling of their hands on me. I don't know how I'm going to survive tomorrow morning."

My Clove, the fearless, deadly girl who fears almost nothing. She could go into the Arena right now and face all twenty three tributes on her own and kill them all, but the Remake Center is what terrifies her.

Audrina was 11 and Clove was 9 when Peacekeepers invaded their family's home in Victor's Village. They lived their with their parents and their brother, Orion. All three of them were past victors. Titan, Clove's father, had been accused of treason. There were allegations that he was working with other victors underground to start a second rebellion. When his alleged accomplices were tortured for information, all of them gave Titan up, claiming that he was the ringleader of it all. The Peacekeepers came into their house in the middle of the night. They pulled everyone from their beds, and shot and killed their mother, Cara, on the spot. Clove told me that her most vivid memory is tasting her mother's blood in her mouth when it splattered onto her face as she screamed out for her. Next, they cut out Orion's heart and threw it at Audrina's feet. Finally, two Peacekeepers held Titan back as the others beat and raped Clove and Audrina, forcing their father to watch as they screamed out for him and for their dead mother. Once every Peacekeeper had a turn, they decapitated Titan in front of his daughters. They took his body with them, but left his head behind with the girls. Enobaria was the one who found them and took them to the Training Center's Hospital. She's been fiercely protective over them ever since.

Clove developed a strong hatred for people. She trusts only Enobaria, Audrina, and myself, and rightly so. She overcame the trauma by pushing herself hard in training. She learned how to kill, so that she could avenge what happened to her family. By the time she was twelve, she was one of the deadliest trainees District Two had ever seen. She turned her fear into her strength, though there was still one thing that terrified her to her very core. She absolutely cannot stand being touched.

"I knew it was coming. I mean, obviously I know it's a part of being a tribute. I guess I just thought I had a couple more years to prepare myself for it."

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, Clo."

"It's not me I'm worried about. It's them. I know they won't hurt me. When I think about their hands all over my naked body, strange and cold, poking and prodding, all I can think about are those Peacekeepers and what they did to me and my sister. I can't control my anger, and my rage. All I want to do it kill everyone around me, like I did back in Two. Honestly, that terrifies me. What if I lose control again, Cato? What if I hurt them? Then what will Snow do to me? What will he do to you, and to Drina?"

"He'll make our lives a living hell in the arena, and he'll never let either of us win. Then he'll make sure to make the rest Audrina's life a living hell. He won't kill her. She'll be the only Prescott he's got left. He has to protect the bloodline so he has more Prescotts to torture and kill for years to come. He might kill Enobaria, but I doubt it. She's a Capitol favorite, and he wouldn't want to upset his people. Honestly, Clo, that's the worst that could possibly happen. And in all reality, hasn't he already promised to do all of that?"

Clove nods, "I just don't want to think about it anymore."

"Hmm... Well, I've been dying to try out these showers. I bet they're even bigger than the ones on the train."

She's already walking toward the bathroom. She peels off her shirt and throws it at me with a smirk.

"I'm way ahead of you, babe."

* * *

_Love ain't fair_  
_So there you are_  
_My love_

_Your heart's a mess_  
_You won't admit to it_  
_It makes no sense_  
_But I'm desperate to connect_  
_And you, you can't live like this_

* * *

**Author's Note: A little insight into Clove and Audrina's past. Thank you so much to the two people that reviewed. You're the ones who inspire me to keep writing. Reviews are so greatly appreciated! Even if you absolutely hate it, constructive criticism makes me a better writer. I always reply to reviews! I like to talk to my readers, I promise I don't throw knives ;) Enjoy Chapter Three! x**

******For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**********Lyrics: Hearts A Mess - Gotye**


	4. Royals

**Clove's POV**

* * *

_And we'll never be royals _  
_It don't run in our blood,_  
_That kind of luxe just ain't for us_  
_We crave a different kind of buzz_

_Let me be your ruler _  
_You can call me queen bee_  
_And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule_  
_Let me live that fantasy_

* * *

"They can give you something to calm you down if you want," Enobaria says gently, resting a protective hand on my shoulder. "They did that for your sister."

"Yeah? What'd they shoot her up with? Morphling? Heroin? The same stuff that turned her into an addict when she got home? The drugs that made her do _this _to me?"

I lift up the hem of my shirt to show the bright pink scar on my stomach. It happened nearly three years ago, yet it refuses to fade. It took over a year to fully recover. I kept busting it back open in training. I forgave my sister for what she did, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have. The arena changed her. Whether or not she wants to admit it, she hasn't been the same since she came back. It was stupid for me to expect that of her. Obviously the Games change you. I was young, but I saw it happen to my brother when he came home. Enobaria helped him though, and he eventually beat the darkness. I guess I always assumed it would be different for Audrina and me. We had already lost everything. What more could the arena do to us that Snow hadn't already? Much, much more, as it turns out. Neither Audrina or I expected to fall in love. We didn't know it, but by doing so we just gave Snow something else to hurt us with.

"Don't think me so naive to not remember. That was a dark time in my life as well. I thought I'd lose you both. Seeing you two hurting each other made me feel like I failed you. You and your sister are all I have left. I promised your brother I would take care of you if anything ever happened. Every time you do this to each other, I feel like I'm letting him down."

Guilt forms in the pit of my stomach. She is the only family Audrina and I have left, and we are hers as well. Enobaria was married to my brother, Orion. He won the 61st Games, the year before she won hers. He proposed the night before she went into the arena, and she promised him she'd win and marry him. There was a small ceremony in Victor's Village after they returned. I was only three years old at the time, so I don't remember it very much. I do remember the years after the wedding. It took awhile, but my brother was finally happy again. Enobaria was the light of his life. I remember how his eyes would shine whenever he saw her. I told my mom that I wanted someone to look at me like that someday. Enobaria was five months pregnant with his child when Snow massacred my family. The sight of her dead husband, my father's severed head, my mother's lifeless eyes, and the two girls she always thought of as sisters beaten and battered, caused her to have a miscarriage. Snow killed another Prescott without even knowing it.

Sometimes I forget that Enobaria lost just as much as we did. My mother, Cara, was her mentor. She practically raised her. Enobaria was an orphan street rat. She was brought to the Training Center when she was seven. My mother took her in. Somewhere along the line she fell in love with Orion. She had never known her real family, but my family was hers just as much as it was mine.

"I'm just trying to help you, Clove. I know what happened to you better than anyone. I'm telling you that it worked for your sister. She wouldn't have been able to get through the makeovers without it."

We are standing at the doors of the remake center now. My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it's going to fall out of my chest. I haven't felt this helpless and terrified since the day the Peacekeepers attacked us.

"No," I practically have to force the word out of my mouth. "No, I can do this. I need to do this, Enobaria. I've never been afraid of anything else, and this may be my last chance to conquer my fear. I don't want the drugs. I can do this on my own."

Enobaria nods and pulls me into a tight embrace before opening the door to the remake center and nudging me inside. I shudder as the doors close behind me. I sounded a lot more confident than I actually am, and a big part of me wants to run back out the doors and beg Enobaria to give me the drugs.

* * *

"Well, you're not entirely helpless!"

I jump, startled by the voice. A tiny pink-haired woman wearing a lab coat is walking toward me. My first instinct is to back away, but my head hits the cold metal door, reminding me that I am trapped.

"Oh, don't be scared. I'm Moxie! I'm part of your prep team. I'll be doing your makeup and skincare. You do have such lovely pale skin. Oh, except for these scars on your cheek here! I do wish they would give us enough time to surgically remove all the scars before the opening ceremonies."

"No!" I yelp, my eyes wide with horror.

Moxie looks appalled at my sudden outburst.

"Oh, sweet girl, you'll look so much prettier once you win and we fix your scars all up. The boys will be falling all over you!"

I bite my tongue until it bleeds to refrain from saying something that will get me in trouble.

"I like my scars. I'm proud of them. They're reminders of where I came from and what it took for me to get here."

"Of course," Moxie says, pursing her lips.

She hands me a silky robe, "Change into this please. Remove all other clothing. I'll go find Nesta and Kaixin. We'll get you all ready to meet Mal. As ready as we possibly can, of course."

I nod, watching as she clacks away in her six inch stilettos. I am suddenly aware of how cold the Remake Center is. With its mirrored walls, metal tables, and torturous looking instruments it bears striking resemblance to the Training Center's morgue. The thought sends chills down my spine. _Way to think positive, Clove_.

I take a deep breath and pull my shirt over my head. The artificial cold air hits my skin, covering it with tiny bumps. I quickly remove the rest of my clothing and pull the robe around my naked body. Cato is the only one I have ever allowed to see me like this. The thought of someone other than him seeing me in my most vulnerable state makes me sick to my stomach.

I walk over to the metal table and sit on top of it, desperately trying to figure out how to survive the next few hours. I'm beginning to regret not taking the drugs. Then again, I know I'll thank myself for it later. I don't want to be weak. Audrina was weak. She used drugs as a crutch before and after the games. I won't sink to her level, no matter how much pain it causes me.

Before long, I hear footsteps coming back toward me. Moxie returns with the other two members of my prep team. They all stand before me in silence, examining me like a specimen under a microscope. To Moxie's left is a tall man with pale skin, white blonde hair, and bleached eyebrows. Even with her sky high stilettos, he is still at least a foot taller than her. To Moxie's right is her polar opposite; a voluptuous woman with cherry red hair that reaches to her lower back, tattoos covering every inch of her visible skin besides her face, and deep indigo eyes framed by thick, dark eyebrows.

"I told you she isn't _too_ bad." Moxie chirps, bouncing on her heels. "Besides all the horrible scars, though it's nothing a bit of concealer can't cover."

"She's got lovely hair," the red haired woman purrs. "I can't wait to get my hands in it."

"We better get to work then," the man says. "What's your name?"

I am taken aback. This is my second day in the Capitol and this is the first time anyone has bothered to ask me my name. Everyone just ignores me completely or refers to me as "District Two Female". I can't say I'm not used to it. When I first arrived at the training center I was only a number: 2151. My sister was 2150. Enobaria was the only person who called us by our names for months, until I met Cato.

I turned ten a few months after Enobaria brought us to the Training Center. As one of the youngest trainees, I was placed in all of the beginners classes, for 7-11 year olds. It was Brutus who decided I needed a bit more of a challenge. He decided to move me up with the thirteen year olds, the level Audrina was at.

I'm sure Brutus thought he was helping me, but he just painted a target on my back. We practiced knife throwing first. I hit all of my targets impeccably, second only to my sister. After that, all the other trainees had it out for me. By the end of the day, I was a mess. My lip was swollen and bleeding, my right eye was a sickening purple color, and my entire body was covered in bruises. Audrina headed up to the dining hall for dinner, but I told her I wanted to stay behind and practice sword fighting.

* * *

_"Your form is all wrong, your feet are too far apart, and that sword is way too big for you, little girl."_

_Startled, I drop my sword, nearly severing my own foot in the process. A tall boy with blonde hair and shocking blue eyes stands before me._

_He laughs, picking up my sword._

_"How long have you been watching me?" I snap, narrowing my eyes at him._

_"Long enough to know that you have potential, but you're gonna need a little extra help."_

_"Thanks, but I don't remember the part when you became my teacher."_

_"I'm not. I'm just a friend offering my help. But if you don't want it..."_

_He hands my sword back to me and turns around, heading for the door. A small part of me is relieved that he's leaving, but a bigger part of me screams for him to come back. Something in me yearns for the blue eyed boy._

_"Wait," I call. "Don't leave."_

_He turns around, smirking, "What's your name, little girl?"_

_"2151, weren't you listening?"_

_"Well that's nice. I'm 2092. But what I was asking was for your _name_, not your identification number."_

_I feel my cheeks blush bright red._

_"Oh, I'm Clove. Clove Prescott. Sorry I- Never mind."_

_"What? Tell me?"_

_"No one except for Enobaria and my sister have called me by my name since I got here. I was just surprised you asked. I didn't realize anyone cared."_

_"Of course I care. We can't forget who we are, who we were before we came into this place. If we do that, then they win. They'll turn us into bloodthirsty, heartless monsters if we let them. We can't allow that."_

_His statement rattles me. I've never heard anyone speak about the Training Center like that. My mother and father grew up in here. So did Enobaria. This place saved me. It took me when I lost the only other home I had ever known. _

_"I guess I never thought about it that way."_

_"Not many people do."_

_"Can you really help me with my sword fighting?" I ask, hating the pleading tone in my voice._

_"Of course I can, swords are my thing. I only ask one thing in return."_

_I knew it. Everyone in this place is in it for themselves. No one gives a shit about you unless there's something in it for them. How stupid could I be to think that this boy was different. That he might be genuine._

_"I should have known," I scoff. "What do you want?"_

_"I want you to teach me how to throw knives. I saw you in class today. You didn't miss a single target."_

_"Why me? You saw my sister. She's better than I am."_

_"Eh, she was alright," he shrugs. "It was you I couldn't keep my eyes off of."_

_I'm flattered, but shocked. For the first time in my life, someone noticed me. I've always been second best to my sister. She's the prettier one, the stronger one, the one who makes everyone fall in love with her. She's the spitting image of our mother. Everyone and everything falls right into her lap. _

_"Why?" I ask, dumbfounded._

_"The way you do it, it's an art. Your sister just looks like she wants to rip someone's heart out. You have precision and aim like nothing I've ever seen before."_

_I didn't think my cheeks could get any redder, but somehow, they do. Why is this boy being so nice to me? Why did he notice me, and not anyone else?_

_"So you're saying if I teach you how to throw knives, you'll teach me how to sword fight?"_

_"That's exactly what I'm saying. Do we have a deal, Clove?"_

_The way he says my name makes my stomach twist and turn. My mother used to call it butterflies._

_I nod, "Deal."_

_"Great. We'll start tomorrow after class ends. I'm going to the dining hall, I'm starved."_

_I smile, and he begins to walk to the door. My heart sinks at the thought of him leaving._

_"Wait!"_

_He halts in his tracks and turns to face me, his sparkling blue eyes shining with amusement. _

_"You never told me your name." I mumble sheepishly, avoiding eye contact._

_"You never asked me, little girl."_

_He moves closer to me, and I can feel the heat radiating from his body. My eyes are mere inches from his chest. _

_"W-what's your name?" _

_"Cato." He whispers, his warm breath tickles my ear, sending shivers through my entire body._

* * *

"Hello! Anybody in there?" Moxie's high pitched voice brings me back.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"Yes, well whatever it was, it was very rude. Kaixin asked you a question."

"Clove." I answer, my voice more firm. "My name is Clove."

"It's nice to meet you, Clove. I'm Kaixin, this is Nesta," he motions to the girl with the red hair. "And you've already met Moxie. We'll be your prep team. We're going to get you ready to meet Mal, your stylist. Are you ready to begin?"

Kaixin's voice is a lot kinder than I expected. It takes me completely by surprise.

"I'm nervous," I say.

These people are going to see my most vulnerable self in a few moments. Why not share my honest feelings.

Kaixin smiles sympathetically, "There's nothing to be nervous about, Clove. You're going to be just fine. Whenever you're ready, remove your robe."

I nod, swallowing the massive lump in my throat before letting my robe fall to the ground.

* * *

I have decided that the Remake Center is my own personal hell. I've spent the last four hours being poked and prodded. Every last piece of unwanted hair has been removed from my body. My eyebrows have been plucked into shape. My hair has been shampooed, conditioned, dried, and glossed to perfection. My skin has been scrubbed and moisturized, and Moxie has spent the last hour applying an ungodly amount of makeup to my face.

To occupy my mind, I've spent the time thinking of creative ways in which I could kill them all. I could carve out their hearts Audrina-style, rip out their throats with my teeth Enobaria-style, or sever their heads like Snow's men did to my father. The possibilities are endless. What would Snow do to me, really? Kill me? Wouldn't it be more of a hassle to find a replacement on such short notice? He'd probably just arrange a horrible, gruesome death for me in the arena, but in all reality I'm sure he's already done so. Being a Prescott, I've been on Snow's kill list since the day I was born.

There's a sort of liberating freedom in knowing you're going into certain death. I feel invincible. I'm going to die anyway, isn't that the worst that could possibly happen? The voice in the back of my head tells me that it's not. Not while people I love are still alive. Still, imagining the brutal deaths of all of these Capitol people is much easier than enduring my current situation, so I push the thought from my head.

"Nearly, done!" Moxie announces with excitement. "Nesta, go get Mal!"

"Oh, Clove, you look absolutely beautiful. Just wait until you see yourself in the dress Mal made for you, it's absolutely stunning!"

I force a smile at Kaixin, though any friendliness I felt toward him earlier has long since disappeared. Now all I can think about it putting one of my knives through his heart.

"Doesn't she look stunning?" Nesta exclaims, returning with a woman who I presume is my stylist.

"She does, Nesta." Mal says in a soft voice. "You three have done an absolutely wonderful job, as usual."

Kaixin, Nesta, and Moxie all blush and bow their heads in gratitude.

"You may go now. Thank you."

I have to stifle a laugh as my prep team scurries from the room like obedient little puppies.

"I'm Mal."

"I'm Clove."

"I know who you are. It's so nice to finally meet you, Clove."

I'm puzzled by her response, and it takes me a moment to figure out how she knows me. Of course, she was Audrina's stylist too.

"You styled my sister."

"I did style Audrina. I also styled Enobaria. My mother was the stylist that worked with your mother and your aunt, Milla.

"I assure you, Clove, I want nothing more than for you to win the Games this year. I will do everything in my power to help you. Of course, I expected it to be a few more years before I saw you. When I heard you were a tribute I was shocked. If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"I was reaped. No one volunteered for me."

Mal's eyes widen with horror, "Just like Audrina."

"Funny coincidence isn't it?" I say bitterly.

Mal nods, a sad look in her deep brown eyes.

"Would you like to see your dress?" She asks after several minutes of silence.

I nod, offering her a small smile. It feels wrong. I shouldn't be smiling at a citizen of the society that has destroyed my entire family.

"Come with me," Mal motions toward a massive 360 mirror. "I'll get you into your dress first, then you can see how beautiful you look."

It takes several minutes for Mal to help me into my dress and shoes, and add on all the finishing touches.

"Ready?" She asks when she is finally finished, her eyes shining.

I nod, and turn around to face the mirror. The dress is black, and made of a silky material that falls over every curve of my body. It's long, with a slit down one side, reaching my upper thigh. There is a gold metal band around my waist, adding more shape to my body. Mal has layered on gold jewelry of every kind. My shoes are gold, strappy heels. They're tall enough to make me look the part, but not so tall that I can't walk. My hair falls down my back in soft, messy curls. My face looks glowing and luminescent. My eyes are lined with kohl and smoked out with black eyeshadow. My eyelashes are thick and long, and there are small gold crystals on the inner corners of my eyes, making them appear wider. I look like myself, just more beautiful, and more deadly.

"Time for the finishing touch," Mal says, placing a gold grown on top of my head.

I smile. The crown is an exact replica of the ones given to the victors. It's as if we're telling the world that I'll win before the Games even begin.

"Thank you, Mal. You've been helping my family and my district win for years. I hope you can do the same for me."

"I hope so too," Mal says with a smile. "Now lets go out there and kill them, Prescott."

* * *

It's chaotic down in the stables. Stylists and escorts are running around like chickens with no heads. Reporters and cameras are everywhere, all of them trying to catch a glimpse of the tributes. I hear loud cheers coming from above me and look up. There are hundreds of Capitol citizens looking down at us screaming our names.

"There you are!" Seraphina screeches, "What on earth _took_ so long? We're starting in five minutes!"

"Seraphina, you know as well as I that the chariots will not leave until every tribute is in place." Mal says, resting a hand on Seraphina's shoulder.

"That doesn't give you an excuse to take your sweet time, Mal."

"Art is not something to be rushed, my dear."

Enobaria appears at my side, "Why don't you ladies spend a little less time arguing and help Clove into the chariot."

"I don't need help, I'm fine," I retort, making my way to the chariot where I see Cato, standing with Audrina and his stylist.

Cato is shirtless, his body glistening with oil they must have rubbed on him. Envy courses through me at the thought that someone else had their hands all over him. He looks every part the Roman gladiator, and I am his goddess.

"You clean up nice, Mr. Rovati." I say, stepping into the chariot next to him.

"Clove-" he starts, but he loses his words when his eyes meet mine.

His eyes look me up and down, taking me in, before making their way back up to mine. The way he is looking at me is extremely inappropriate given our current circumstances. I see the lust in his eyes and I know exactly what he's thinking, but I can't bring myself to be angry with him because I'm thinking the exact same thing.

"You're undressing me with your eyes," I whisper.

"It's all I can do not to rip that dress off of you right here," Cato says, breathing heavily.

"You better control yourself, because I don't think I'd have it in me to stop you." I say, smirking.

"Clove," Cato moans. "Why are you such a tease?"

I smile, "You can punish me later."

Cato opens his mouth to reply, but his voice is drowned out by the Capitol anthem that has begun to play. The sun is setting. It is time.

In front of us, District One's chariot begins to move forward. The blonde girl has been dressed in a frilly white dress and she's drenched in diamonds. The boy is wearing next to nothing. I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous they look.

"They aren't much competition, are they?" Cato whispers, laughing.

I roll my eyes, "I want the boy. Something about him has been grating on my last nerve since the recap of the Reapings."

"He's all yours, little girl."

Our chariot lurches forward out onto the streets of the Capitol. Cato and I play our part well, managing to look both deadly and sexy at the same time. I smile to myself when I hear the crowd calling our our names, cheering wildly for our district. For a moment, I imagine that this is the Games that were supposed to be mine. That Cato is my mentor, proudly watching from the screens back in the stables. This is the moment I've waited for my whole life, to feel like a queen among all of these other sad excuses for tributes, knowing that I am unstoppable.

Cato's voice brings me back to reality, "Looks like District One isn't too happy with us for stealing their limelight."

I turn my attention to them as our chariot comes to a halt in front of the presidential palace. The boy looks angry, glaring in our direction. The girl, on the other hand, is desperately trying to get Cato's attention, flipping her hair, smiling and waving.

"I want to kill her too."

Cato laughs, "Jealousy looks good on you, Clove. It's hot."

"I'm serious! It's so pathetic. She probably thinks that by flirting with you she'll get you to protect her in the arena."

"Hmm, maybe I will if it gets you all hot and bothered."

"You're unbelievable."

"You know it, baby."

I roll my eyes and turn my attention to the other tributes. It's sad, the lack of creativity their stylists have. Suddenly, the audience erupts in cheers and screams. I can't see what's going on, even with the added height from my heels.

"Look," Cato says, pointing toward the screen, which had been fixated on us until now.

The girl from District Twelve and her partner fill the screen. They are dressed in all black, and seem to be on fire. Even worse, they're holding hands, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd. Their chariot finally comes to a stop, and President Snow begins to read the Treaty of Treason. I swear if I hear it one more time I'm going to gouge my own eyes out. The cameras stay fixated on Twelve throughout the entire speech and all the way back into the stables.

Cato hops down from the chariot as soon as it stops inside the stables, I follow close behind. Seraphina, Mal, and Deva, Cato's stylist, all rush toward us, gushing about how well we did, but our minds are elsewhere.

"I think she's trained, Cato." I whisper, hoping he doesn't think I'm a complete idiot.

"I think you're right. I thought she was when I saw her on the Reaping recap, but it seemed too impossible. Look at her though, the way she moves, the fire in her eyes. She knows exactly what she's doing. We have to kill her."

I smile, feeling a sense of pride in my lover. The thought of him taking the life of that girl brings me pleasure in ways I can't describe.

"We'll give them a show they'll never forget. Let her play the Capitol people all she wants. They'll all be cheering us on as we kill her."

As if she heard us, the girl from Twelve quickly turns her head, making eye contact with Cato. Surprisingly, she doesn't look away. She stares right back, her eyes burning, letting us know that she's not going down without a fight.

That's fine. As long as she knows it's a fight she's going to lose.

* * *

_We're bigger than we ever dreamed,  
And I'm in love with being queen  
Life is great without a care  
We aren't caught up in your love affair_

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially Starry Lights in the Sky. Your review inspired me to write this chapter, so this is dedicated to you! Enjoy Chapter Four, I think it's my favorite one so far. x**

******For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**********Lyrics: Royals - Lorde**


	5. Team

**Cato's POV**

* * *

_Call all the ladies out  
They're in their finery  
A hundred jewels on throats  
A hundred jewels between teeth  
Now bring my boys in  
Their skin in craters like the moon  
The moon we love like a brother, while he glows through the room_

_Dancing around the lies we tell  
Dancing around big eyes as well  
Even the comatose, they don't dance and tell_

* * *

I wake up at the first sign of dawn. The sky outside isn't even completely light yet, but my body is used to it. I've had to be awake at dawn for training everyday for the past eight years of my life. It's a habit hard to break.

Clove, on the other hand, would sleep for days if you let her. It's a good thing she spent most nights in my room, or she never would have woken up on time. I don't mind waking up before her though. I like watching her sleep. In sleep, she looks her age. She looks like a girl who has never been touched by tragedy. She looks like someone who has never felt pain. In her sleep, Clove is relieved of the heartbreak she's felt every waking moment since her family was taken from her. It pains me to have to wake her. It's as if she ages right there in front of me. Her eyes alone show that she has seen so much suffering in her lifetime.

We don't have to be at breakfast for another couple hours, but I can't go back to sleep. I would if I could. I know I won't be getting much of it in the arena. Laying awake with nothing to do doesn't sound so appealing either. My mind will just keep wandering back to the fact that in less than a week Clove and I will be in a public death match and expected to kill each other. I still haven't decided what I'm going to do. All I know is that Clove needs to come out alive.

After another hour of tossing and turning, horrible memories from my childhood, and images of Clove dying in the arena, I've just about had it. Frustrated, I fling the blankets off of me and stand up, pulling on a pair of pants and a t-shirt. I tuck the blankets around Clove and lightly kiss her forehead, careful not to wake her. I laugh to myself. I'm always so careful around her when she's sleeping, when in all honesty I could brutally murder ten people right here in this room and she wouldn't even stir. She sleeps like the dead, my Clove.

After checking over my shoulder once more to make sure Clove is still sleeping, I quietly open the door and shut it behind me. As expected, the hallways are dark and empty. Not even the avoxes are awake yet. I haven't had a moment to myself without Seraphina or Audrina or Deva breathing down my neck since I got here. Back at the Training Center when I couldn't sleep, I'd go roam the streets of District Two where I grew up. The foster home I lived in was located in what most of us refer to as the slums. Most people think District Two is the wealthiest district in Panem. It's true, but not everyone is so lucky. Miles away from the Square, the Training Center, the Justice Building, and the giant mountain that houses Panem's center of defence, are dark alleys and run down neighborhoods where the poorest of the poor live. This is where I grew up. And I loved it there.

As one of the oldest in the foster home, all of the other little kids were like my brothers and sisters. We didn't have many toys to play with, but we were never bored. We were never full, but never went to bed hungry either. As far as I was concerned, life in the foster home was as good as it got. Drug deals took place not more than a few yards from our doorsteps. Prostitutes and hustlers roamed the streets every night. We woke up to gun fights and arrests at least five nights out of the week. But I was so happy that I hardly noticed any of it. Brutus came to the foster home when I was ten and took me away. I cried, screamed, and begged my foster mom not to let him take me. Little did I know that the Training Center had paid her for me and two other orphans.

* * *

_"Cato, there's someone coming to see you today. His name is Brutus, and he wants to adopt you. Isn't that great?"_

_Sabina, my foster mother, stands in my doorway, a cautious smile on her face._

_"Let me think. No."_

_"Cato, you've been here since you were only a few months old. Don't you want to be adopted? To go to a nice, loving home?"_

_Sabina is only in her thirties, but the stress of raising thirty five abandoned children with little help from the government has aged her. Dark circles have taken permanent residence underneath her eyes, making her otherwise beautiful face look worn down._

_"Sabina, this is my home. I like it here. I don't want to leave," I pout, stacking blocks on top of each other only to knock them back down. "I don't want to leave ever."_

_"Cato," Sabina sighs, sitting down on the edge of my cot. "Come here, honey."_

_Reluctantly, I push the blocks down a final time and sit next to Sabina. _

_"You can't stay here forever, Cato. Someday, you'll be old enough to work, get married, have a family of your own."_

_"You're my family, Sabina. Felix too. And Philo, Crisis, Tati, Nero, Jules, and Rufus. Even baby Marius. And Laelia too, even though she bothers me sometimes. I don't want a new family, I like the one I have."_

_"I know, Cato. I know. But you have to at least meet him, okay? Can you do that?"_

_I shrug, growing more upset with each passing minute. Why can't this Brutus guy just take another kid? Everyone else actually wants to be adopted. Except for maybe Jules. She told me that she never wants to get a new mom and dad. The ones she had used to hurt her. So one day when they were sleeping, she hurt them. She's been in here ever since. No one wants her, but its okay because she doesn't want anyone either. Maybe I should do something crazy like she did. Then no one will want me either, and we can both stay here forever._

_"He'll be here tomorrow morning. You'll take a bath tonight, and I'll lay out something nice for you to wear."_

_I ignore Sabina and continue to play with my blocks, desperately thinking of something crazy to do so that this Brutus guy won't want me. _

_The next morning I am dressed in the itchy collared shirt Sabina practically had to force me into. All of the other kids are playing outside, but Crisis, Jules, and I are sitting on the couch anxiously waiting for someone to tell us what's going on. _

_Suddenly, the door to the living room opens and Sabina walks in with a tall, muscular bald man. _

_"These are your three oldest?" he asks, eyeing us carefully._

_"Yes," Sabina says nervously, playing with her fingers. "The one in the middle is Cato. The girl is Jules. The other boy is Crisis."_

_"Which is the one who killed their parents?"_

_My eyes widen and I look at Jules. Of course, we all know what she did, but no one ever says it out loud. Sabina gasps, but she quickly composes herself._

_"That would be Jules."_

_"And Cato, his last name is Rovati? You're sure of it?"_

_"I'm sure."_

_"Who brought him here?"_

_"Peacekeepers. He was only a few months old. His mother was arrested after she was caught on the other side of the fence trying to escape."_

_"Do you have paperwork on any of them?"_

_"Only for Jules and Cato. Crisis was left on our doorstep as an infant with nothing but a note stating his name."_

_"They're all fit. You keep them well fed, I see."_

_"We manage. We wouldn't be able to do it without the business we do with the Training Center, sir."_

_"Very well. I'll take all three of them off of your hands."_

_"All..all three? I'm sorry, Mr. Catalano. I was under the impression that you only wanted to take Cato."_

_"Yes. I wanted Cato because I made a promise to his father before he died. But the Training Center is running sparse. So I'll take your other two oldest. Anyone who can kill her own parents with no remorse is a perfect trainee. And there's something sinister about Crisis. I'm sure he'll do just fine. One thousand apiece?"_

_Sabina looks desperately from us to Brutus._

_"Y-yes. Yes, that will do."_

_"Great. Amos, Marcelli, put them in the car. Just the girl and Crisis. Leave Cato for me."_

_Two men dressed in all black come forward and grab Jules and Crisis, dragging them toward the door despite their protests. Brutus pulls a check out of his pocket and hands it to Sabina._

_"Sabina, what are you doing? Why are you doing this to us?" _

_Tears well in my eyes as I beg Sabina not to let them take me. Brutus comes toward me and slaps my face with the back of his hand. _

_"Stop your crying, boy. You'll need to be a lot stronger than that where you're going."_

_Sabina shrieks, rushing toward me. But Brutus holds his arm out and stops her._

_"He isn't yours to protect anymore."_

_Sabina sinks to the floor, sobbing._

_"I'm so sorry, Cato. I'm so, so sorry."_

* * *

I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive Sabina for selling me to Brutus. She was the closest thing I ever had to a mother and she betrayed me. Though, I suppose she did what she had to do to keep food on the table. I guess it was for the best. If I hadn't gone to the Training Center I never would have met Clove. Still, she lied to me. She sold us to the Training Center knowing full well that there was a good chance we wouldn't live past the age of eighteen.

I walk down the dark, empty hallways until I reach a door at the very end. I turn the handle, it's not locked. Curiosity gets the better or me and I push the door open. On the other side is a stairwell that seems to go up about twelve floors or so. I know I probably shouldn't be wandering around alone like this, but I go up the stairs anyway. I've never been one to follow the rules. At the very top of the stairwell there is another door. Cautiously, I open it. My breath hitches as I am greeted by a gust of wind. The door leads outside.

I take a few steps outside and realize that I'm standing on the roof. It seems strange that these doors are unlocked. Why would they just let us wander around outside knowing that at least half of these tributes are desperate to find any way to escape the arena.

"Couldn't sleep?"

My heart skips a beat, startled by the voice, but I don't let my face show it. The blonde girl from District One steps out of the shadows and walks to the edge of the roof to stand next to me.

"Sleep is for the weak."

"My feelings exactly. What's your name?"

"What's yours?" I retort, eyeing her suspiciously. I suppose its not a crime to ask my name, but I'm a little weirded out that she's being so nice to me.

"Glimmer. Glimmer Ellsworth. I'm from District One."

I laugh, "Really? Your name didn't give it away at all. Why didn't your parents just name you Sparkle?"

Glimmer glares at me, "Very funny. I have a twin sister named Shimmer. Neither of us are particularly happy about it."

"I'm sure," I smirk at her. "I'm Cato. District Two."

"I guess we're allies then."

"Only until there's five tributes left. Don't get too comfortable, Sparkle."

"Likewise." Glimmer says, leaning against the railing.

"Why do they let us up here?" I ask. "Aren't they worried someone's going to throw themselves over the edge."

"We can't." Glimmer says simply. "Gloss told me there's a forcefield around the building. I didn't believe him, of course, so I decided to test his theory out myself. Watch."

Glimmer picks up a rock from a potted plant and throw it over the edge of the roof. It falls for a little bit, and then bounces right back up. She catches it in her hand and throws it over again. It bounces back.

"See? You could try it, but you'd just keep bouncing right back."

"They're always so concerned for our safety aren't they?" I ask bitterly.

"Oh, of course. Wouldn't want anybody getting hurt now, would we?"

I laugh, deciding that Glimmer isn't as bad as I thought.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me whatever you want. It doesn't mean I'll answer, though."

"Fair enough," I say, laughing. "What was with the act during the tribute parade? You're about as much as a dumb, blonde, fairy princess as I am."

Glimmer rolls her eyes, looking irritated. "Gloss told me to do whatever my stylist said. Turns out my stylist is a complete idiot. No female from District One has ever won since he took the job. He turns us into perfect little dolls, when we're actually experienced killers. He thinks he's doing us a favor, but no one takes us seriously and we don't get sponsors. Two years ago, a girl from my district, Ariadne, was the first one to die in her Games. And a tribute from Eight killed her. My entire district was mortified. No one took her seriously, not even her own allies."

I remember that year very clearly. It was the year of Crisis and Audrina's Games. I remember when that girl died too, and from the fear in Glimmer's eyes I can tell that she's afraid she'll end up just like her.

"A piece of advice, Sparkle, don't listen to your stylist. This is your life on the line. Not his. Do your best in training, and fuck what he says about the interviews. What is he going to do? Send you into a televised death match? Oh wait."

Glimmer laughs, "I guess you're not too bad, District Two. At least your not a complete moron like Marvel is."

"The boy from your district? Yeah, I got that feeling from him."

"In Marvel's case, people's first impressions are usually spot on."

"What was your first impression of me?" I ask, honestly curious.

"You're a contender. I'd be stupid to underestimate you."

"I've been training for these specific Games since I was ten years old. Sometimes I feel like that's the only reason I was even born."

Glimmer laughs bitterly, "We all are, aren't we? Us career district kids, we're all born to die."

She's right. We're raised like cattle for the slaughter. Our only hope is that we might be stronger, faster, smarter, or maybe even just luckier than the other tributes. The odds aren't always in our favor, though.

We're silent for awhile, but its not uncomfortable. The weight of her words sink in, and it hits me for the first time since my name was called that I am going to die in the arena. Glimmer will too. I just hope I won't have to be the one to kill her.

"We should get back now. The others will probably be waking up soon. They'll wonder where we are," Glimmer says with a small smile.

I nod, thinking of Clove. I hope she hasn't woken up yet and realized I'm not there.

We both head for the stairwell. When we get to the District Two door, I turn to say goodbye to Glimmer.

"It was really nice to meet you, Cato."

I smile. I know our friendship will be short lived, but it's nice to know I'll have an ally I can actually stand to be around.

"See you in training, Sparkle."

* * *

"Clo," I say, gently shaking Clove's shoulder. Thankfully she hasn't woken up yet. "It's time for breakfast."

She mumbles something about not being hungry, but from the way her stomach growls I can tell she is.

"Come on, little girl. Up you go."

Clove reluctantly sits up, her curls from last night are tangled into a bun on top of her head.

"No, really, I'm not that hungry. You go enjoy breakfast. I'm gonna take a shower and get ready. I'll grab something quick before training."

Something's wrong, I can tell.

"Nightmare?" I ask, rubbing her back.

Clove nods.

"Want to talk about it?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Nope!" Clove says, too cheerfully.

She hops out of bed and walks over to the bathroom.

"I'm fine, promise. I'll see you later."

I sigh, and head to the dining room. I'm frustrated that Clove won't tell me what's wrong, but I should know better than to ask her. She never tells me what her nightmares are about, probably because she doesn't care to relive them. I can't say I blame her, I just wish she'd confide in me and let me comfort her. But Clove was never one to seek anyone else's sympathy. She takes care of herself, and she likes it that way.

"Morning!" chirps Seraphina excitedly as I walk into the dining room.

I look at Audrina, who rolls her eyes and motions for me to sit next to her.

"Where's Clove?" Enobaria asks.

"She'll be down later. She's taking a shower."

Enobaria gives me a look that tells me she doesn't believe me, but I don't have the energy to argue with her. Clove can explain herself later.

Deva and Mal come in and take their seats, and the avoxes begin to serve breakfast.

We eat in complete silence. It's awkward at best. Without Clove here, I feel completely out of place. Audrina and Enobaria don't like to talk strategy around Seraphina, Deva and Mal, even though I'm sure they wouldn't understand it. Seraphina tries desperately to make small talk. She mentions the weather, and how the dress Mal made for Clove was featured in all of the big style magazines.

"Did it make the cover like last year?" Deva asks hopefully.

"Cinna's work actually made the cover this year, dear. It's okay though. I'm happy to share the limelight. Cinna is an excellent designer."

My blood boils thinking about the pair from District Twelve. I haven't had the same hatred towards any of the other tributes. But for some reason I can't wait to drive my sword through the pair of them. Especially the girl. Something about her gets under my skin.

My thoughts are interrupted as a bowl of hot cereal lands in my lap.

Seraphina shrieks, "Terra! What is wrong with you?"

I look up to see a blonde avox girl, probably in her mid-thirties, staring down at me apologetically. My anger fades when I look into her eyes. They're the exact same color as mine.

Seraphina is still hysterically yelling at Terra while she attempts to clean up the mess.

"No, it's fine," I say gently, stopping her efforts. "Seraphina, she's fine. It was an accident. I'll just go change."

"Cato, she is a slave, she must be punished for her actions."

"Don't punish her," I say. "It was an accident, she didn't do anything wrong. No harm done."

Seraphina still looks upset, but I'm hoping I convinced her. I glance at Terra once more. Her eyes meet mine and she gives me a slight nod. _Thank you._

I nod back, and turn to head back to my room.

"Cato, wait up!" I hear Audrina's voice behind me, and stop to wait for her.

"What the hell was that about?"

"I-I think that was my mother..." The words taste strange coming out of my mouth. I never met my mother, how could I know?

"That's impossible." Audrina says, but there is more than a little doubt in her voice.

"I know, that's what I thought. I always assumed they killed her after she tried to escape, but maybe they gave her a worse fate."

I try to imagine my sixteen year old mother, after having just lost my father to the Games, her four month old ripped from her arms, and Peacekeepers cutting her tongue out and enslaving her.

Brutus never told me what happened to my mother. He told me he didn't know, but he assumed she was killed. I grew up believing both my parents were dead, but what if one of them was still alive?

I hear footsteps coming toward us and look up to see Enobaria, a somber look on her face.

"Is she-"

Enobaria nods, "I was only twelve when she had you. She was sixteen. I never had any classes with her, I didn't know her. But as you can imagine, when a trainee gets pregnant, people find out. I remember that her name was Terra. Terra Rogue."

"You recognize her face? You're sure it was her?"

"I'm sure. I'm so sorry, Cato."

My heart sinks, "It's fine. What a great time to finally meet my mother. I'm headed into certain death in five days, but hey, better late than never right?"

Audrina and Enobaria smile sympathetically. It angers me even more. I don't want their pity. I hate that look on their faces. I hate that they feel sorry for me.

"I'm gonna go change. I'll see you both at dinner."

* * *

By the time I change and get to the training center, Clove is already there. She's the only one in the room so far. I'm glad I get to have her to myself for a few minutes. She's sitting on the mat in the center of the room stretching. It's refreshing to see her like this, in her element. She's wearing tight black shorts and a long sleeve black shirt with black boots, just like at home. Her hair is straight again, and pulled up into a high ponytail. Her face is clear and free of makeup.

"Hey," I say softly, hoping I don't startle her.

Wide-eyed, she turns and looks at me. Her face breaks into a huge smile. My heart skips a beat, I haven't seen her smile since we got here.

"You're beautiful." I say, sitting next to her.

"Shut up!" she laughs, her cheeks turning bright pink. "If any of the other tributes hear you they're gonna think you're a complete lovesick fool."

"I _am_ a lovesick fool, Clove. I've always been a fool for you. They'd be stupid to think it makes me weak. I'll still snap their necks the second any of them cross me."

Clove rolls her eyes, "Well don't let any of them know that you actually have a heart. It could really hurt our rep."

"Speaking of having a heart, something happened at breakfast today. I-"

I'm interrupted by the sound of the training center door opening. Glimmer, Marvel and the tributes from District Four walk in.

"Tell me later," Clove says, hopping to her feet. "Time to meet our allies."

* * *

_I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air, so there_  
_So all the cups got broke shards beneath our feet but it wasn't my fault_  
_And everyone's competing for a love they won't receive_  
_'Cause what this palace wants is release_

_We live in cities you'll never see on screen_  
_Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things_  
_Living in ruins of the palace within my dreams_  
_And you know, we're on each other's team_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Remember, reviews help me so much. They give me inspiration to write, and encourage me to update sooner when I know people are actually reading. Also, let me know in your review if you like the flashbacks or not, and whose POV you enjoy more, Clove's or Cato's. Hope you enjoyed Chapter Five! x**

**A huge thank you to whoever reviewed under the name 'FaithfulReader'. Your review brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't PM you to tell you how thankful I am for reading my story and leaving such a sweet review. Thank you so much!**

**********For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**************Lyrics: Team - Lorde**


	6. Bang Bang

**Clove's POV**

* * *

_I was five and he was six_  
_We rode on horses made of sticks_  
_He wore black and I wore white_  
_He would always win the fight_

_Bang bang he shot me down_  
_Bang bang I hit the ground_  
_Bang bang that awful sound_  
_Bang bang my baby shot me down_

_Seasons came and changed the time_  
_When I grew up I called him mine_  
_He would always laugh and say_  
_Remember when we used to play_

* * *

"We meet again, Cato." The blonde girl from One says, giving Cato a sweet smile.

"Hello, Sparkle." Cato smiles back as an assistant pins a square cloth with the number _2_ on the back of his shirt.

Confused, I look between the two of them. Jealousy burns through me. The assistant moves on to me, grabbing my shoulder roughly as he pins the number to my shirt. His touch makes my blood freeze in my veins, and it's all I can do not to turn around and knock him out. I consider it for a moment, he might be three times my size, but I could do it. I have the element of surprise. I shake the thought from my head before I actually take it seriously, turning my attention back to the situation at hand.

"I wasn't aware that you two had met," I say cooly, narrowing my eyes at District One.

"We met this morning. I'm Glimmer, by the way." She reaches her hand out toward mine.

"I didn't ask." I say simply, crossing my arms over my chest.

Glimmer awkwardly pulls her hand back, looking to Cato.

"This is Clove," Cato says, putting his arm around my shoulders. "She's evil, but she grows on you."

I roll my eyes, and shrug Cato's arm away. I'm fighting the urge to walk away from these idiots I have to call my allies, but my self control diminishes with every passing second.

"I'm Marvel," the boy from District One says proudly, stepping forward and puffing out his chest.

"Oh, it speaks. How unfortunate."

Glimmer and the girl from Four laugh, but Marvel just looks confused. Poor boy, he's so stupid, it won't even be any fun to kill him.

"I'm Marina," the girl from Four says. Apparently she learned from Glimmer and doesn't try to shake my hand. "This is Caspian. Unfortunately he's not much better than Marvel, here."

"Well, now that all of the awkward introductions are out of the way, the rules are same as always. We're allies until there are five tributes left, then you're all on your own."

As irritated as I am with Cato, I can't help but feel proud as he establishes himself as the leader of our alliance. Glimmer, Marina, and Caspian all nod in agreement. It's Marvel who decides to open his mouth.

"Who says you get to be in charge, huh? I'm just as trained as you are, Two."

"I seriously doubt that," Cato says with a laugh. "Sit down before you hurt yourself, One. Maybe then Clove will give you a head start before she sends one of her knives at your head."

"I won't, but you'll stop talking if you know what's good for you."

"Oh, you're a mean one. I like it."

"Watch it, District One." Cato snarls, taking a step closer to Marvel.

I can see that its taking every ounce of his self control to keep from wrapping a hand around his throat. I am suddenly aware that most of the other tributes are here. They're all staring at us, wide eyed and scared. _Good._

"Go ahead, Two. Show me what you got."

"I'd rather save it for the arena."

"Scared your girlfriend will see you get your ass kicked? I can't wait until I kill you in the arena, then I can have her all to myself."

Cato is boiling with anger. His veins are building in his arms from clenching his fists. Cato's always had a difficult time restraining himself when someone threatens me. He's only seconds away from snapping Marvel's neck, and a big part of me is more than willing to stand back and watch him do it. However, as angry as I am with him, I don't particularly want to see my boyfriend killed in front of me before we even go into the arena.

Fortunately for Marvel, the door opens, and a tall, stern looking woman walks through the doors.

"Rule number one, absolutely no fighting with the other tributes," she yells. "There will be plenty of time for that in the arena."

I place my hand on Cato's shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

"Save it for the arena. He isn't worth it."

Cato nods, his jaw clenched tightly.

Glimmer steps forward to face all of the other tributes.

"Did you all enjoy the show?" she asks sweetly. "Did you see your life flash before your eyes as you realized that you'll all die by our _very_ capable hands?"

Terrified, the other tributes avert their eyes and turn away. All except for one. The tall, dark skinned man from Eleven crosses his arms and stares at Glimmer, locking eyes with her. His message is clear: he's not scared of us at all.

"Each station is for a different skill. Experts in those skills will remain at those stations. Feel free to roam around as you please. If you would like to practice with an opponent, there are assistants on hand."

Atala, the head trainer, is lecturing us on all of the rules before we are allowed to begin. We're all standing in the center of the room, myself and my other allies at the very front. Suddenly, she is interrupted by the sound of the door opening. I smirk, looking up at Cato. It's the pair from District Twelve, dressed in the exact same outfit. I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. What are their stylists thinking? Surely they know this whole twins act is going to blow up in their faces in the arena. They're number one on my kill list. I'll get to Marvel after that.

"Nice of you to join us, Twelve," Atala says with more than a little annoyance in her voice. Two assistants approach them and pin numbers to their backs as well.

"I suppose I should review for District Twelve, since apparently they don't think they need to be on time like everyone else."

I laugh to myself. It's not even 10:00 yet, so they're technically not late, but I enjoy seeing them humiliated in front of everyone.

Atala reviews the rules once more before sending us off. I head straight to the knife throwing station, pushing my way in front of the other tributes, Caspian from District Four being one of them. The targets are simple, just like the ones at home. I could have hit every single one of these blindfolded when I was ten. Fortunately, the fancy Capitol training center has targets that can be programed to move. I notice that I have captured the attention of nearly half of the tributes, so I decide I might as well give them a show. I look up at the Gamemakers in their elevated stands above the gymnasium to make sure they are watching me as well. They are. _Perfect._

I casually pick up the knives that I need, and program the targets. As soon as they begin to move, I throw my first few knives with ease, hitting every single one in the dead center. Bored, I throw a second set, this time, spearing the hilt of the previous knives. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction from the awed gasps of the other tributes. With my last set of knives, I try to be a little more creative. I turn around, scanning the gymnasium for other possible targets. I see twenty two of them right in front of me, but unfortunately that's against the rules. Finally, I set my sights on a styrofoam dummy at the spear throwing station where Cato is. He just threw a spear through one of them form fifteen yards away, and seems quite proud of himself. Smirking, I throw one knife at it's heart, it sticks into the end of Cato's spear. He whips his head around and stares at me with wide eyes. Finally, I throw my last knife at the dummy's throat, severing it's head off completely. Pride flows through me, it took me years to master that skill back home. You have to have a perfect angle, sharp knife, and precise aim; even then you may not cut the head clean off. It turns out the odds are in my favor today. All of the other tributes stare at me in awe, even Cato. I turn to glare at the tiny boy from Six, and everyone else scurries away, not wanting to get on my bad side.

I walk over to stand next to Cato at the sword fighting station.

"Show off," he says bitterly.

"Oh, did someone get his ego bruised? I'm sorry, Cato. Here, let me kiss it and make it better."

Cato rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, and I can tell he's trying really hard to stay mad at me, but failing nonetheless.

"Not bad, Two." Marina, the girl from Four, moves to stand next to me.

"I've been training for this my entire life, so I sincerely hope I wasn't bad."

Marina's face falls, and she looks upset.

"She's not very good at making friends." Cato says with a smile.

For some reason this bothers me. No, I'm not good at making friends. I wasn't aware that Cato was.

I spend most of my morning at the knife throwing station. Since everyone seems to be too afraid to approach me, I have it all to myself. The time passes quickly, as it usually does when I'm throwing knives. It's therapeutic for me.

Before long the Gamemakers let us know that it's time for lunch, and we all file out into the dining room adjacent to the gymnasium. There are twelve tables, and rolling carts with food around the perimeter of the room. Marvel and Caspian push their way to the front of the line, terrorizing all of the other tributes. Playing up the Career act, Cato and Marina follow suit. Not wanting to deal with the idiocy that is my allies, I make my way to the end of the line.

"Alright Two, what's wrong? You seem mopey, and it isn't good for our image."

Glimmer, the pretty blonde girl from One, and Cato's new friend, is suddenly at my side.

"I'm just not in the mood to deal with them." I say crossly, nodding my head toward the boys and Marina.

"Even your own district partner?" she asks, cocking her head to the side as if to tell me she knows there's more to my story.

"Yes, Glimmer. Even my district partner."

"Well, boys will be boys. It's girls like you and me who need to stick together. We may be smaller than they are, but we're faster and we're smarter."

"Turn your weakness into your strength," I whisper.

* * *

_"I can't do it Mom." I say, stomping my foot as if to prove my point._

_"Yes, you can. Go again."_

_Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Audrina smirking at me. She had hit every single one of her targets; I only hit two, and my mother won't let me leave until I hit them all. Audrina just stayed behind to be entertained by my failure._

_"She's bigger than me, older than me, and stronger than me." I whine._

_"Clove Milla Prescott," my mother says sternly, bending so that she is at eye level with me. "I do not ever want to hear you say that again. You must turn your weaknesses into your strength."_

_"What does that even mean?" I ask, tears pooling in my eyes. I try hard to blink them away. Crying is just showing weakness._

_"You are small. You are young. But you are not weak. If anything, it makes you stronger. You have to work harder than Audrina does. You cannot rely on your size and strength, so you have to be intelligent. Be smarter than your enemy. Push yourself to be better than your sister, everyday. Someday, you will be."_

_"Mom!" Audrina screeches from the corner, obviously feeling left out. _

_My mother sighs, and sits down on the gymnasium floor. _

_"Come here, Drina."_

_She pulls both of us into her lap and holds us close to her. _

_"You two are sisters. More than that, you are Fiori-Prescott sisters. You have a bond that is unbreakable. A bond that no one else will ever understand."_

_"Like you and Aunt Milla?" Audrina asks, and my mother's face falls. _

_"Yes. Just like me and Aunt Milla. You two are all each other has. It hurts me to see you fight each other like this, even though I suppose Milla and I did the same. Still, you are not each other's enemies. Remember that. Remember who the real enemy is. Clove, you might be smaller than Audrina, but compared to the tributes you will be facing someday, you will both be smaller than almost all of them. But you have what they don't have. You have the blood of two victors running through your veins. You have wit, intelligence, and an inner strength and fire that cannot be taken from you. When I look at you two, I see myself and Milla. Clove, you look just like her. She was smaller than me, and younger, and she believed she was weaker, but she was not. She was a fighter. She was intelligent, cunning, brave, and strong. She deserved to win. Everyday I question what more I could have done to save her. My fire went out when her cannon went off. I hope to never see the same happen to either of you. Do not fight each other. Fight together, help each other, make each other stronger. Make me and Milla proud."_

* * *

"What?" Glimmer asks, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Nothing."

"You completely spaced, Clove. I know it wasn't nothing."

I can tell by the way she's looking at me that she's honestly curious.

"You're right. About us being stronger than they are, even though we're smaller. It was something my mother used to tell my sister and I. Turn your weakness your biggest strength, and no one can ever hurt you. I don't fight the way most trainees in my district fight. I had to learn a different way, because I was smaller. It challenged me, and made me stronger and smarter than them."

I don't know what I expected Glimmer to do, but I definitely didn't expect her to smile.

"It sounds like your mother is a very smart woman."

"Was," I say, correcting her. "She's dead. My whole family is. All I have left is my sister and my mentor, Enobaria."

Something burns in Glimmer's blue eyes, and it makes me wonder if maybe she knows the feeling of having everything she loves taken from her.

"Make them pay, Two. That's why we're here. To make them pay for all of the pain they caused us."

With that, she steps forward and fills her plate with food. I do the same, but neither of us say another word. I don't trust Glimmer. But I don't hate her either.

The rest of the day and night pass uneventfully. Dinner is quiet and awkward. I don't eat much, and go straight to my room when I'm finished. I take a shower, and let all the fancy Capitol machines dry and smooth out my hair before changing into a comfortable pair of pants and a tank top. I'm brushing my teeth when I hear a knock on the door.

"It's me," Enobaria says gently.

I open the door, thankful that it's her and not Cato or Audrina. Quickly, I finish brushing my teeth and sit next to Enobaria on the bed.

"How did training go today?" she asks.

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

I nod, not really in the mood for talking.

"Clove, as your mentor, it's my job to you know, _mentor _you. And I can't do that unless you tell me about training."

"There's really not much to tell, Enobaria. I showed my skills with a knife. I did some sword work, and hand to hand combat. It was boring at best."

"What about Cato?"

"I don't know he kind of just did his own thing."

Enobaria glares at me, "And the rest of your allies?"

"They're alright. All brawn, no brains. Except for Glimmer. She's the only one who poses a threat. She reminds me of Drina a little bit."

"It's good to have another ally you can trust, but I wouldn't get too attached. Only one comes out."

"I know. And it's going to be Cato."

Enobaria sighs deeply and begins to massage her temples.

"You know I don't agree with that."

"I didn't ask you to agree with it. I asked you to respect my decision."

"You're asking me to stand by and watch you die. So forgive me if I don't respect your decision. I respect that you want to protect Cato, but I promised Orion that I would protect you. I promised your mother I would. The love of my life and the woman who raised me, and you're asking me to go back on my promises? Clove, I-"

Tears are welling in Enobaria's eyes, and it shocks me. I've never seen her cry before. I'm sure she cried when her husband and my parents died. I'm sure she cried when she lost her baby. But she has never shown it in front of anybody.

"Enobaria?" I ask, resting my hand on her shoulder. I don't exactly know how to react.

"I don't want to let you die in there."

I don't know what to say. Guilt starts eating away at me.

"You know what, I'm just gonna go. I should let you rest anyways. You had a long day." Enobaria says, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Before I can think of anything to say, she is gone. I pushed her away, just like I do to everyone else. Tears begin to stream from my eyes before I even get a chance to wish them away. I pushed away Audrina on the train, and she hasn't spoken to me since. I pushed away Cato in training this morning, and now Enobaria too. Of the only three people in the world I love and trust, I managed to make them all hate me in a matter of three days.

I curl up into a ball and let the sobs take over, only wishing that someone was there to hold me. It's a stupid request coming from a District Two career tribute, but I don't care. I want Cato. I want Enobaria and Audrina. I want my mom and dad, and my brother. I want to meet my unborn nephew and my dead aunt that everyone's always told me I look just like. But I can't. The Capitol has taken them all from me, one way or another.

This new realization breaks my heart. And for the first time in my entire life, I feel alone.

Eventually, I run out of tears and exhaustion takes over my body, sending me into a deep sleep filled with nightmares of all my most awful memories.

I wake up to the sound of a doorknob rattling, before it finally gives and pops open. I panic for a moment, but relax when I realize it must be Cato. His lock picking skills are clearly not confined to District Two.

I keep my eyes shut and pretend to be asleep, and he crawls into bed behind me, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I shift my body, pressing myself against him.

"You're awake," he whispers.

"Mhm." I mumble, rubbing my bare foot against his leg.

Cato begins kissing my neck gently.

"You were mad at me today," he says. It's a statement, not a question.

"Jealous," I mumble. I must be tired, I would never admit that if I were awake.

"I could tell. I'm just playing the part, my Clove. If I make our allies trust me, it will be all the easier to get rid of them when the time comes."

"I know," I say.

"Why were you so upset?" he asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

"They were getting all your attention."

Cato laughs before covering me with kisses once more.

"Oh, the things I can get you to admit in the dark. You're mine, Clove. And I'm yours. No one will change that."

"Never ever?" I ask with a yawn.

"Never ever." Cato confirms, pulling me tighter against his chest as I lose consciousness once more.

* * *

The next day of training is just as boring and pointless as the first. At least Marvel provided some entertainment when he lost it after the little girl from Eleven stole his knife, though, I'm pretty sure I was the only one who actually saw her do it. She's small and she's weak, but she's also quick and smart and I have to respect her for it. Sadly, the girls from Eleven and Five are the only tributes smaller than me, putting me on the low end of the physical strength scale. It's okay, I think as I throw knives into styrofoam dummies as a warmup after lunch, I'll just prove them all wrong with the highest training score.

After warming up with the knives, I do a few rounds of physical combat, run the obstacle course a couple of times, and watch Glimmer and Cato at the sword fighting station. I'm not bad with a sword, but I wish I was as good as them. Cato handles his sword with such brutality and force, while Glimmer glides with grace and strength, almost like she's dancing.

Glimmer eventually catches me watching them and smirks at me. I roll my eyes and smile back before turning to examine the stations I haven't visited. Realizing the majority of survival stations are completely empty, I make my way over. The instructor at the plants station almost falls out of his chair when he sees me.

I sit across from him and start picking up the different specimens in glass jars. Most of them I have seen before, but a few are new to me.

"When was the last time you had a career tribute at your station?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

The instructor laughs, "It's been decades. Most of them don't think they need this kind of knowledge. There was one girl from Two, about twenty five years ago, give or take, you remind me of her a bit."

I smile, "Was her name Milla by any chance?"

"Yes, actually, I think it was."

"She was my aunt. I never knew her, but everyone tells me I'm her spitting image, in looks and personality."

"Well, I can definitely see it. What's your name?"

"Clove. What's yours?"

He smiles warmly, "Leandro."

"Nice to meet you, Leandro. Can you teach me about these plants?"

"That's why I'm here. Now, the plants they give us to teach you usually give hints about the arena. I have no idea what it is this year, but if I had to guess I'd say a forest. Lots of trees, lots of plants, lots of animals."

I listen intently as Leandro explains, determined to learn as much as I can about the arena I'm about to be thrown into.

Finally, just as I had mastered the edible plants test, the Gamemakers dismiss us for the day.

"What are you doing at the survival stations?" Cato nudges me, laughing.

I roll my eyes as we step into the elevator, "You won't be laughing when we run out of food and my knowledge of the difference between nightlock and blueberries is keeping us alive."

"That's sweet, Clo. But we're not going to run out of food. We'll have sponsors."

He leans down and kisses my forehead in a patronizing way. As if I am just a foolish child, and not his competitor. It frustrates me, but I try not to dwell on it.

"I guess you're right."

"Speaking of food, I'm starved. Let's go get dinner."

Dinner is uneventful, and after dinner Enobaria insists that we start talking strategy. I can't help but wonder how different this would be if I had been able to volunteer when I was meant to. I push the thought from my head as quickly as it came to me. Dwelling on dreams that are never going to come true will only hurt me. Still, that night, I have no control over the dreams that come to me.

* * *

_"You know I'll always love you, right?" Cato says, toying with my hair. _

_"Yes, I know." I say, rolling my eyes. Cato's always been able to convey his feelings a lot better than I am. _

_We're lying on the roof of Audrina's house in Victor's Village, where we've lived ever since she came home from her Games. It's my fourteenth birthday, and Cato attempted to make dinner and brought me up here to eat and watch the sunset. It tasted absolutely awful, but it's the thought that counts. _

_"You're really gonna volunteer next year?" I ask._

_"I don't think I have a choice, Clo. Brutus has had me pegged for these Games since he found out my mother was pregnant with me."_

_I nod. I know he can win, but that still doesn't change the fact that I'm scared for him. I watched my Aunt Milla's Games enough times to know that just because a tribute is most likely to win, the odds aren't always in their favor. _

_"It's kinda perfect," I say, an idea coming to me. "You'll win next year, and you can come back and be my mentor. I'll volunteer in the 77th Games and win. We'll both be victors. We can take over the Training Center just like Orion and Enobaria planned to do. We'll kill Icarus and start fresh. District Two could be ours, Cato."_

_"You really think we could do it?" he asks, his eyes shining._

_"I know we can. Why wouldn't we be able to? You, me, Audrina, and Enobaria. We'll make sure that every single tribute from here on out will be from District Two."_

_"We could get married." Cato says, staring off into the distance. "If you want. We could get married, have kids, and raise them all to be little victors just like your parents did."_

_I smile, the idea growing on me, "I like that."_

_"I love you, Clove." he says, pulling me close to him and kissing the top of my head._

_"I know."_

* * *

I wake up covered in sweat, breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" Cato asks, sitting up next to me. "Another nightmare?"

"No," I say, shaking my head and desperately trying to catch my breath. "A memory."

"Oh," Cato says, his face falling.

Thats all it takes for the tears to spring to my eyes, and before I have a chance to stop it, I'm sobbing.

"Clo, don't cry. It's okay, I'm here." Cato says, holding me close to him.

"I hate these stupid Games," I say. "I haven't been able to stop crying since we got on that fucking train. It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

"No, it wasn't." Cato says, rubbing my back. "I'd do anything to change it, Clove. You know I would if I could."

"Cato," I whisper, low enough so that only he can hear me. "Promise me, if you win, you'll put an end to this. Don't just kill Icarus. Kill Snow. Kill them all. Take down the Capitol. Do what my dad couldn't. Avenge my family. Avenge me."

Cato nods, not willing to start another argument about who is going to come out of the arena alive.

"And if I win," I say, only to appease him. "I'll do the same. They can't do this to us and get away with it."

I ignore the voice in the back of my head that tells me that they can. And they will.

* * *

_Music played and people sang_  
_Just for me, the church bells rang_  
_After echoes from a gun_  
_We both vowed that we'd be one_

_Now he's gone I don't know why_  
_Until this day, sometimes I cry_  
_He didn't even say goodbye_  
_He didn't take the time to lie_

_Bang bang he shot me down_  
_Bang bang I hit the ground_  
_Bang bang that awful sound_  
_Bang bang my baby shot me down_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed Chapter Six! Now that I'm on winter break, I should be able to write and update more frequently. Reviews help me so much, and they inspire me to write and encourage me to update sooner!**

**Also, if you're curious about Milla's backstory, one of my best friends, Dom (Cosmoguy) is writing about the 49th Hunger Games, in which Milla is a tribute! Go over there and give him some love and support, and let him know I sent you!**

**I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

**************For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**  


******Lyrics: Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher (Cover by 2Cellos ft. Sky Ferreira)**


	7. Let Her Go

**Cato's POV**

* * *

_Staring at the bottom of your glass_  
_Hoping one day you'll make a dream last_  
_But dreams come slow and they go so fast_

_You see her when you close your eyes_  
_Maybe one day you'll understand why_  
_Everything you touch surely dies_

* * *

The third day of training passes quickly, and before I know it, it's almost time for lunch, and then private sessions. Clove deviated from the group once more, spending most of the morning in the survival stations. Then she ran the rope course a few times, and did some hand to hand combat practice, and finally spent the remainder of time at the knife throwing station.

"You've been watching her all day."

Glimmer appears next to me without a sound. The more I get to know her, the more I realize how much of a threat she is. She's good. She knows what she's doing, and worst of all, she's likable. I've grown attached to her, like a little sister, and find myself wanting to protect her as well. Of course, I'd slit her throat in an instant if she tried to hurt me or Clove, but I'd feel guilty about it.

"Just making sure she's not getting into any trouble," I muse, mesmerized by Clove as she spears the targets again and again.

"Oh yeah. She's a real troublemaker, that one." Glimmer says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You have no idea."

"How long have you known each other?"

"I stopped counting the years," I say truthfully.

"You care for her."

I turn and face Glimmer, looking deep into her eyes.

"She hides it better than you do, Cato." Glimmer whispers.

"No one else can know, Glimmer. The others, they'll see it as a weakness, and target us."

"They'd be stupid to. You and Clove are clearly the strongest here, and the fact that you're a team just lessens their odds."

I know she's right, but still, the thought of Marvel or Caspian, or even Marina, knowing about us sets me on edge.

Glimmer rests her small hand on my shoulder, "Your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you." I say.

Glimmer shrugs, "Hey, what are allies for?"

I smile, but it quickly fades and I turn my attention back to Clove.

"Ouch," Glimmer says.

"What?" I snap.

Glimmer holds her hands up in defense, "Nothing, you just seem a little, I don't know, _pissed._"

"I'm not," I say, sighing.

"Well then what is it? Come on Two, you gotta stop this moping around, you're killing our reputation," she smiles, letting me know she's only half serious.

"You can't tell anyone. Not even Clove, at least not until I tell her."

"I'm starting to feel a bit like your shrink. Confidentiality and all."

"I met my mother," I say. Glimmer raises an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"I was adopted. Sort of," I continue. "My mother tried to run away with me when she was sixteen. They caught her and took me away to the local foster home. Brutus adopted me when I was ten and took me to the Training Center. He was my father's mentor. My father died in the 56th Games, and my mom, pregnant with me, went a little psycho. Everyone always told me she was taken into custody and executed. But the other day, we were eating dinner, and she was there. She's an avox."

"No offense, but how would you know? You were only two months old when she was arrested."

"I wasn't sure. But her face, it was like looking into a mirror. Enobaria confirmed it for me. She was in training with her, and she remembered who she was."

"That's some deep shit, my friend," Glimmer says.

"Tell me about it. I've gone my whole life thinking both of my parents were dead. And then days before I'm heading into certain death, I find out my mother is alive. And worse, she's a slave to the Capitol."

"Aren't we all," Glimmer mumbles.

"Worst of all, I haven't even told Clove yet. I just haven't found the right time."

"Wait, back up a second. Did you just say you're going into _certain death_?" She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's not very Career of you."

"I have to protect Clove. She has a family, and I don't. She deserves to win more than I do."

Glimmer nods, trying to understand, but I can see in her eyes that she doesn't. Not really.

"It's alright. I don't expect you to understand."

"I do," Glimmer says casually. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Two."

"Enlighten me, Sparkle. Secret for a secret?" I say, genuinely curious about this girl's past.

"I know what it's like to love someone so much you'd give your own life in a heartbeat in order to protect them. What I can't imagine, is being in the arena with that person, knowing only one of you can live. I was lucky enough to avoid that."

"I take it you don't have feelings for Marvel then?" I say with a laugh.

Glimmer hits my arm, "No, asshole. Someone else."

"You're not gonna tell me who it is, are you?"

Glimmer smiles, "Not a chance."

With that, Glimmer saunters off to the archery station. I turn my focus back to Clove, but the silence is only temporary.

"I see you're hitting it off with Glimmer, Two. I'll tell you what, you can have her if I can have your district partner. Deal?"

I turn around. Marvel. Of course.

"Get lost, One. Really, I can't be bothered to deal with you. And stay away from Clove. That's not a threat, it's a piece of advice. She'll cut your throat out before you have a chance to lay a hand on her. I've seen her do it."

It's not a lie, I have. Clove had her first kill when she was only twelve. One of the older tributes pinned her against a wall one night after a class. She snapped his wrist, kicked him in the groin and left him. Later that night she snuck into the hospital and slit his throat. Most people thought it was her, but there was no proof. Besides, the Training Center doesn't take murder too seriously. They want us to become comfortable with taking lives. Sometimes Icarus kills trainees himself, just to show us that he can. Everyone in the Center is either a juvenile delinquent or an orphan, and no one cares what happens to us. As long as they still have two tributes to offer up each year, the body count doesn't bother anyone.

"She doesn't scare me, Two. I could snap her in half before she could even reach for one of her little knives."

I laugh, rolling my eyes, "I'd really like to see you try, One. That would be some Capitol quality entertainment."

Clearly irritated, Marvel storms off to the weights and begins to throw stuff around like the man child he is. He's had at least two tantrums a day since training started. I seriously doubt he'll make it far in the arena, one of us is bound to snap his neck eventually. There's only so much stupidity and immaturity a homicidal maniac can tolerate.

I head back to the sword station and take my built up frustration out on some styrofoam dummies. I can't save both Glimmer and Clove. Hell, I'm not even sure if I can save one of them. Clove is my first priority, but I'd save Glimmer if she needed it too. It's an instinct. The problem with that is, if no one else kills her, I'll have to. And I don't know if I can do that.

Not to mention my mother, who I haven't even told Clove about yet. The stress of the Games is already taking its toll on her. She spends most of her time in her room when she's not training. And by the time I crawl into bed with her she's already asleep. I don't want to add more stress to her life, but I feel guilty not telling her. Like I'm hiding something from her. Especially now that Enobaria, Audrina, and Glimmer all know. She'd feel betrayed that everyone knew except for her.

"District Two!" A deep voice yells, bringing me back from my daze.

Atala, the head trainer is standing before me, and all twenty three other tributes are behind her. Some staring with amusement, others quaking with fear, Marvel and Marina look annoyed, Caspian looks impressed, but my eyes go straight to Clove and Glimmer. They look upset.

"You put on quite a show, Two. And now you've given the avoxes something to do while you're at lunch."

Her eyes scan the room, and mine follow. All around me are chunks of broken styrofoam that I have just destroyed.

"As I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted by our very own gladiator, it's time for lunch. After lunch, you will be called in for your private sessions with the Gamemakers. You will have ten minutes to demonstrate your chosen skills to them. They will base your training scores off of your performance. You will be called in the order of your districts, One first, and so on. The male tribute will be called first, followed by the female. I must warn you, spending the afternoon watching tributes can be exhausting. They tend to get bored after the first few districts. I suggest you think of something creative enough to capture their attention. You want to be the one they remember out of all twenty four. Good luck, tributes. May the odds be ever in your favor."

With that, we're dismissed. I move to put my sword away, and when I turn around, Glimmer and Clove are in front of me.

"What the _fuck_ was that, Cato?" Clove snaps, hitting my arm.

"I just got a little distracted. I was pretending it was Marvel's head I was bashing open again and again."

"You District Two kids are nuts," Glimmer says, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. I'm starving."

Clove eyes me carefully. She knows me. She isn't as easily convinced as Glimmer. She knows that I'm hiding something.

* * *

"Cato Rovati, District Two," a robotic voice announces over the intercom.

I give Clove's hand a tight squeeze before walking toward the door.

"Give 'em hell, Rovati." Clove calls after me, and I can't help but smile.

"I'd wish you luck too, but-"

"Fiori girls never miss," she finishes, smirking.

"Just try not to throw any knives at the Gamemakers, little girl."

The metal doors to the gymnasium burst open and a very pissed off Glimmer storms through them.

"Oh no, Clove. Please do. Put a knife in all of their hearts for me. And an extra one in Seneca Crane's throat. That fucking _bastard_."

She plops down next to Clove at the table and crosses her arms. I look at Clove and shrug before heading through the double doors.

"Mr. Rovati, you have ten minutes to show us your desired skill. Though after the show you gave us earlier this morning I think we have a pretty good idea. Whenever you're ready."

Seneca Crane is the only one paying even the slightest amount of attention. The rest are fawning over the feast in front of them.

I'm only the third tribute and they're already bored. You'd think they would be able to pay us at least some attention, since it's their only job. Whatever, I might as well get this over with.

Since they've already seen my sword skills, I decide to save that station for last. I do a round of hand to hand combat, some knife throwing, spear throwing, weights, and finally spend my last couple of minutes ripping apart the dummies once more.

"We've seen enough, you may go," Seneca Crane says in a bored tone, motioning to the doors.

Now I can understand what Glimmer was so upset about. Annoyed, I storm through the double doors just as Clove's name is being announced over the intercom.

"Thank god," she grumbles, standing up. "Here, you can deal with Sparkle."

I nod, taking Clove's place next to Glimmer. She can tell from the look on my face that I'm upset.

"You too?" she asks.

I nod. We wait in silence for Clove's return. The minutes feel like hours, but finally the double doors burst open.

"Max Linus, District Three."

A small, frail boy stands up, his knees visibly shaking as he walks to the door. Clove brushes past him, almost knocking him down as she runs out of the dining room and into the elevator, a small knife clutched tightly in her left hand.

"Looks like she had it worse than both of us," Glimmer says. "You should go after her. I'm gonna head back to my floor anyway. Gloss will probably want to talk strategy for the interviews."

"Alright, I'll see you later, Sparkle," I say, heading for the elevator.

When I get to our floor, everyone is in chaos. I can hear screaming and yelling all the way from the elevator. Worried, I hurry toward Clove's room. Sure enough, Audrina, Enobaria, Seraphina, Mal, and Deva are all standing around the door. Audrina is yelling for Clove to calm down and open the door, but the only reply is more things being thrown against the wall.

"What the hell happened?" I yell, pushing Audrina aside.

"Your girlfriend is having another one of her tantrums." Enobaria says, looking bored.

"No _fucking_ shit, Enobaria. Clove! Open the door, it's me."

"_No!_" She screams, more glass shatters.

"It's my fault," Audrina says softly. "I haven't spoken to her since that first night on the train. I'm her sister, we've been through everything together and I wasn't there for her through this."

"That can't be the reason she's having a full fledged meltdown, Audrina," Enobaria says, her voice dripping with venom. "Clearly something happened during her private session."

"Why can't _he_ just talk to her? He's the only one she ever listens to anyways." Seraphina says through her sobs.

Mal and Deva stand on either side of her, comforting her. Of course, because _she's_ the one who needs comforting right now.

"She's right, you know," Audrina hisses. "It's _you,_ Cato. It's been you since the moment she met you. Not me."

"That's not true, Drina. And you know it. We're on the same side. We both want to keep her alive. It's not going to do any of us any good to fight."

Enobaria rolls her eyes, "If someone had warned me I'd become responsible for the wellbeing of three hormonal, emotional, homicidal teenagers, I would have offed myself a long time ago. Break down the door, Cato."

"No!" Seraphina shrieks in horror. "That is _mahogany_! It's Capitol property, he can't break it!"

"I don't give a _fuck _about you Capitol people and your fucking mahogany. She's breaking a lot more precious Capitol property in there if you haven't noticed, Seraphina. She's going to get herself hurt if we don't do something." Enobaria says, clearly fed up. "Cato, break down the fucking door. _Now._"

Seraphina squeezes her eyes shut and grips onto Mal and Deva's hands as i position myself to knock down the door. For some reason this angers me even more. These Capitol people watch children get brutally murdered on television for entertainment, but can't stomach someone breaking a mahogany door. With the extra adrenaline I kick down the door in one go, and it slams to the ground. Startled, Clove turns around. Her eyes are red and her face is covered with tears. In her hand is the knife she stole from the training center, and all around her are shards of glass, ripped up pillows, and broken wood furniture.

Enobaria steps through the door frame, and Audrina and I follow.

"Alright, little girl, which one of us do you want?"

Clove looks at all of us and sinks to the ground in a fit of sobs. My heart sinks and I rush toward her. I reach for her, but she pushes me away.

"_Don't _touch me!" She screams, "I don't want you!"

Audrina steps forward and rests her hand on my shoulder, "Cato, you should go. I'll handle it."

* * *

As usual, I wake up before the sun rises. I roll over to find Clove next to me. I smile, she must have snuck in here late last night after her meltdown. I push her hair from her face and kiss her forehead gently.

I lay in bed with Clove for a little while longer before realizing I'm never going to fall back asleep. All I can think about is the fact that we're going into the arena the day after tomorrow and we're both a complete mess. I get out of bed and pace back and forth.

I still haven't decided what to do about my mother. I feel guilty whenever I see her at breakfast and dinner. I know she must know that I'm her son, after the way both of us reacted. Yet, I haven't even acknowledged her since then. She must think I'm ashamed of her or something. I'm running out of time to tell her I'm not. I'm running out of time to tell her goodbye.

Not knowing what else to do, I sit down at the desk and begin to write.

_Dear Terra,_

_It feels weird calling you Mom, because I never knew you. I'll just call you Terra. Is that okay? I guess you can't answer that question. I'm sorry. _

_I'm your son. Cato. I'm not sure if you knew that or not. Maybe you did. I don't remember you, but for some reason I knew you were my mother as soon as our eyes met. What a great time to meet, huh? Right as I'm about to go into a televised death match that I won't come out of. But I guess you probably know that. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't a tribute._

_I'm sorry you're here. I know you tried to run away, to give me a better life than being stuck in the Training Center. It's okay though, it wasn't so bad. I had a great childhood with my foster parents. Eventually though, they sold me to Brutus. He's not a bad guy, though. I know he was Dad's mentor. And he promised Dad he'd be a father figure in my life if he never made it out of the Games. I'm guessing Dad didn't know Brutus planned to train me for the 74th Games, but here I am. Fulfilling my legacy at last. _

_It could've been perfect. I could've won these Games. I was supposed to. I planned to, until they pulled Clove's name out of the bowl and no one volunteered for her. You probably know Clo's parents. Cara and Titan Prescott. And her older brother Orion, and her sister in law Enobaria. Clove's entire family was slaughtered, and she and her older sister, Audrina, were brought to the Training Center by Enobaria. That's where I met the love of my life. She's beautiful, inside and out. You'd love her._

_Anyways, Clove's name was pulled, and so was mine. Weird coincidence, huh? Not really. I can't win the Games this year, and I hope you understand that. I love Clove too much. She has to come out of the Arena. She has to live a long life with the only family she has left. At least she has some family. I have none. I have no one who will miss me, except for her and Audrina. Will you miss me? Maybe you will. You never really knew me, though. I hope you can still love me, despite the person I've grown up to be. I'm not a good person. I'm not the son you'd be proud of. I've killed people. A lot of people. And I'm going into the arena in a couple of days, so I know I'll kill a few more. It's all for Clove, though. Everything I've done has been for her. _

_I've never believed in god. I just can't understand how any kind of all powerful being could have created a world as cruel and unjust as this. A world where hardworking people are starving, while the rich thrive off what they work to produce. A world where children are sent to fight to the death for entertainment. A world where a district's only hope is to break the law and train children to be monsters in order to keep its people alive. A world where the government kills the entire family of two little girls, and then beats and rapes them until their lives are hanging by a thread. A world where babies are ripped from their mothers' arms. A world where fugitives are turned into tongueless slaves. A world where people are killed for having an opinion. I don't believe in god. After all I've done, and all I've seen, I can't. But I do believe there is something more than life on Earth. There has to be. This cannot be all there is. I hope that we can meet again in another life. I hope I'll be reunited with everyone I lost, including you. It's the only thing that keeps me going. _

_I'm sorry I have to say goodbye so soon after I said hello. I wish things could have been different. I wish I had grown up with a mother and a father. I wish I wasn't a tribute. But I know you can't live on wishes and dreams. _

_Sincerely, _

_your son, Cato_

"What are you doing?" Clove asks sleepily.

Startled, I drop my pen and letter that I am holding. I turn around to face her. She is sitting up, her long hair in a tangled ponytail, wearing nothing but a black bra.

"Ah, nothing. Just writing. I don't know, I couldn't sleep."

"Writing? You know how to write?"

"Just because I stopped going to school when I was ten doesn't mean I'm a complete idiot, Clove."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." She stands up and pulls one of my t-shirts over her head. On her tiny body it hangs down to her thigh.

"It's fine." I mumble, picking up my letter from the floor. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Cato."

"Are you going to tell me what happened in your private session yesterday?"

"I got frustrated and lost control."

"Lost control how? You didn't kill anyone did you?" I ask, only half kidding.

"_No._"

"Then what?"

"I went in, and no one was even looking at me. I guess they got bored after you, and apparently didn't think a little girl like me could do much damage."

I ignore the jab and let her continue. Clove tends to hurt the people she loves the most.

"I hit all my normal targets, then improvised. I painted targets around the room with berry juice, and hit all of them They still wouldn't look at me. So I threw a knife into the light figure above their heads. It sparked and fell down on their feast table. _That_ got their attention."

"I'm sure it did. No one got hurt right?"

"I don't think so. I ran out before I saw anything though."

I sigh, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud of you. But you do understand they'll make you pay for it in the arena, right?"

"Cato, I'm a Prescott. Snow's been making me 'pay for it' since I was nine years old. It's not a big deal. At least that's what Audrina told me last night to calm me down."

"I'm sorry, Clove."

"Don't be, it's fine. I promise. Now are you going to tell me what you've been writing?"

"Clo, it's nothing." I say, lying through my teeth.

I don't know why it's so difficult for me to tell her about my mother. I guess I just feel like my issues pale in comparisons to hers. Or maybe I feel guilty because we bonded over the fact that our parents were all dead. Now one of mine is alive.

"Cato," Clove starts, walking over to me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "I know you're not just writing nothing. Come on, tell me. I'll warn you though, if you're writing your last will and testament I'll probably just slit my wrists right now."

"Don't talk like that, Clo." I say somberly.

"Then just tell me what you're doing, Cato. When have I ever hid anything from you?"

"You've never told me about your nightmares, for starters." I say, getting defensive.

"That's not fair, Cato. You know what my nightmares are about, I've never had to tell you."

"Well, I've never known for sure. And whenever I ask you, you push me away."

Anger burns in Clove's eyes, "I have nightmares about the night I was raped, Cato. I see my parents and brother killed in front of me, over and over again. I relive the worst night of my life, every single night since it happened. Six men take turns on me and Audrina while my father screams for mercy. I see my brother's heart inches away from Audrina's eyes. I see my mother, five feet away from me in a pool of her own blood. I see Enobaria in the hospital, blood between her legs. I see her face as the doctors tell her that she lost her baby. Not heartbroken, or upset, but angry. Hateful. I see her grab the nearest nurse and rip her throat out with her teeth, as if she suddenly turned into some kind of vicious animal. I see the doctors bind her, gag her, and put her in restraints. I lost more than just my parents that night, Cato. I lost my brother. I lost my nephew. And Enobaria, Audrina, and I, we lost ourselves. Our souls died along with our family. My home, my family, my innocence, my _life_, it was all taken from me. They said we were the survivors. They said how strong we were, how brave we were. But I did not feel strong or brave. Every night I relive it, over and over. And every morning, I wake up wishing I had died along with them. Because this life I live, in constant fear, this hatred I have for everyone, the evil darkness inside me, is much worse than death could ever be."

I am at a loss for words. She is right. I did know what her nightmares were about, and I pushed her to tell me anyways. She lives through them every single night, and I just made her live them again.

"I-I'm sorry, Clo. I didn't mean-"

"Yeah? Then what the fuck _did_ you mean, Cato?"

"I-I..." I start, but I have no excuse for myself.

"You know what, never mind. We have less than two weeks to be together and you can't even tell me the fucking truth about what you're doing. Fuck you."

She rolls her eyes and grabs her clothes from last night, heading for the door.

"Clove, wait." I grab her wrist, pulling her back to me.

"Let go of me, Cato. I'm serious. I'm so done with this bullshit. I was right when I walked away on the train. It would have been the easiest thing for all of us."

"But you didn't. You stayed."

"I was weak. I was stupid. I was hanging on to some impossible hope that this wasn't real, and that we could both live. We can't. We're going into the arena in three days, Cato. One of us isn't coming out, and I can't handle another argument about who that will be."

"You don't mean any of this, Clove. I know you don't."

She pauses, and takes a deep breath before looking me dead in the eye, "I do."

Panic rises in me, and a lump forms in my throat. An immense wave of emotion crashes over me and it is all I can do not to fall to the floor and beg Clove not to leave.

"We're not meant to be, Cato. We tried, but it wasn't enough. We should have ended it as soon as our names were called. We _can't _be together, don't you see that?"

"I don't care about the Games, Clo. I don't care about the odds. I don't care about the Capitol, or Snow. I care about _you_."

Clove shakes her head, "No. I can't. It's just easier this way, Cato. Trust me."

* * *

_Staring at the ceiling in the dark_  
_Same old empty feeling in your heart_  
_'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast_

_Well you see her when you fall asleep_  
_But never to touch and never to keep_  
_'Cause you loved her too much_  
_And you dived too deep_

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Here's a late present from me to you, another chapter ;) This chapter is dedicated to Cosmoguy, Starry Lights In The Sky, and Pika and Olive's Adventures for reviewing every chapter so far. There are no words for how much I appreciate your support! :)**

**Reviews on my writing are always appreciated! x**

******************For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**  


**********Lyrics: Let Her Go (Acoustic) - Passenger**


	8. Half Of Me

**Audrina's POV**

* * *

_You saw me on the television, setting fire to all the buildings  
Yeah I guess you saw me stealing, but you've no idea what I've been needin'  
Talk about when we were children, not the kind of kid that you believe in  
You saw me on the television, saw me on the television  
But that's just the half of it, yeah you saw the half of it  
This is the life I live, and that's just the half of it._

* * *

I wake up alone in the bed of another one of the Capitol elite. Another night, another customer. At least this one didn't have as many strange piercings as last night's blue haired, purple eyed business man. And the night before that was with two very attractive twin girls. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that one a little. It's been two years since I won my Games, and I've long since given up caring. Now, I've learned to make the best of it. After all, it's just another part of the job. The part my mother never bothered to tell me or Clove about when she was training us.

Exhausted, I roll out of the empty bed, hoping to find a check on the table next to me, but I have no such luck. I don't know why I even expect it anymore. Snow asks that all of the customers pay him directly when they request which victor they would like. At least during my first year most of them were nice enough to leave tips, but that rarely happens anymore. I pull on my tight black dress and leather jacket from last night and slip on my black boots before heading out.

I make my way back to the Training Center as the sun rises. Johanna Mason, the girl from Seven who won the year before me, walks next to me in silence. It's an eerie sight. The usually busy Capitol streets are quiet and empty. Past victors all walk back to the Training Center in the hazy light of dawn, all of us trying to make it back before our tributes wake up.

"How's your tribute this year, Johanna?" I ask, my voice still raspy with sleep.

"She's miserable, unfortunately. At least Blight's kid has some potential. Though I think we all know who's taking the crown this year, Prescott."

"I don't know, Jo. She's in with Cato. She won't let him die for her."

"You let Crisis die for you."

She's right. I did. But I didn't know I loved him until after the light left his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Drina. I didn't mean it. I let people die for me too. I threw an axe and took their lives."

"We're monsters."

"I know."

"At least if Clove dies in there she won't have to endure all of this," I say, though I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. "I mean- I didn't..."

Johanna rests a hand on my shoulder, "I know. You're scared. It's okay."

"I either lose her, or she loses herself. Just like we did. No one wins."

"Drina, Snow is going to take her from you eventually. Thats what he does. Kills everyone we love until there's no one left because it's the only power he has over us."

Tears form in my eyes, but I blink them away before Johanna can see them. It's too late though. Johanna wraps her thin, bare arm over my shoulder, and we walk back to the Training Center in silence.

Enobaria is waiting for me at the steps smoking a cigarette. Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair are sitting on the curb. Finnick is wiping blood from a large cut across Annie's cheek while she stares ahead with glassed over eyes, mumbling nonsense to herself.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Johanna says, rushing toward Annie.

"What happened?" I ask Enobaria, and she hands me her cigarette.

I take a drag and exhale smoke into the frosty morning air before handing it back to her.

"I guess whoever Annie had last night was into the kinky shit."

"It's so wrong," I mumble, having a pretty good guess of who it was. "Annie doesn't deserve any of it, look at her."

"I don't make the rules," Enobaria says, throwing her lipstick stained cigarette on the sidewalk and crushing it with the pointed toe of her stiletto.

We watch in silence as Johanna unleashes a string of profanity into the silent streets. Finnick holds Annie close to him, stroking her bright red hair.

"He loves her so much," I muse.

"That's why she keeps getting hurt. Because Finnick loves her," Enobaria sighs.

"Love is a fucked up thing. It's better just to not love at all. Avoid it at all costs, that's my motto. It's lonely, but it's safe."

"Cheers to that, sister," Enobaria says. "I'm gonna head back before Seraphina wakes up and loses her shit. You coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right up," I say, making my way toward Annie, Johanna, and Finnick.

"This has to end," I say, sitting on the curb next to Annie, grabbing her hand.

"It never ends, Drina," Finnick sighs.

He's not the lively, handsome Capitol heartthrob everyone thinks he is. Annie isn't their sweetheart. Johanna isn't their sassy firecracker, and I'm not their sex bomb. We're lost children forced to live in a world where we are treated like glorified slaves.

"She's right, Finnick. It has to end. I don't know how much longer we can live like this." Johanna says angrily.

She's a loaded gun. A loose cannon. She's a pile of dynamite and all it would take is the tiniest spark to light her fuse.

"Take it from someone who's been living like this for nine years. It _doesn't_ end. You get on the train, you answer the questions, you sleep with whoever Snow tells you to, you smile and wave and make them believe you're living the dream. Then maybe, just maybe, he'll let you live."

"Why the fuck should we live the rest of our lives like that, Finn? We're victors. We're killers. We won the fucking Hunger Games. And we're too weak to take out a man who's probably older than Mags?"

"You forget that man has an army of thousands. Nuclear bombs. Hovercrafts. What are a couple of kids to someone like Snow?"

Johanna gets more and more heated, "I'm so _fucking_ tired of this. I thought that winning would solve everything."

"That's what they promise you," I say softly, squeezing Annie's hand. "What they don't tell you is that the ones who die are the lucky ones. Their suffering only lasted a minute. Ours will last a lifetime."

My words sink deep into our bones, and we sit in silence, watching the pink sun rise over the mountains surrounding the city. It is the truth that nobody ever had the heart to tell us. If they did, we wouldn't have volunteered. And the whole system would have come crashing down. Even my own mother hid the truth from us. She knew her daughters would be whored out to the highest bidder if we won, and she trained us anyway. She cared more about the money and the bloodline than her children. At least my father tried to stop it.

"I better go," Johanna says after a few moments, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I give her a small smile before she heads through the Training Center doors.

"I better get Annie to Mags," Finnick says with a sigh.

I nod, "She needs to eat. She'll feel better."

In silence, we both help Annie to her feet and walk together to the elevator.

"Odair," a Peacekeeper says, motioning for Finnick as soon as we walk through the main lobby. "The president has requested your presence at breakfast. Come with me."

"Get her upstairs to Mags, please?" Finnick asks.

"Of course, Finn. Go."

He kisses Annie's forehead before heading off with the Peacekeeper. Annie grips my hand tightly as soon as he leaves her side.

"He's always leaving," she says softly. "Sometimes I worry that one day he won't come back."

"Finnick will always come back for you, Annie. You know he will."

She nods, and then disappears off into her head again. We step into the elevator and I press the button for District Four's floor. My heart sinks at Annie's words, because I fear the same thing. Whenever Snow summons me, I fear I won't return. Finnick has it worse than all of us. Not because he or his family ever did anything wrong, just because Snow saw an opportunity in Finnick and took it.

"Annie?" I ask, as the door opens to her floor. "I can't go all the way in with you, or I'll be accused of spying. You go to Mags, okay? Get some breakfast."

Annie nods, her blue eyes are wide and glassy. She pulls me into a tight hug, which I return, rubbing her back gently.

"Thank you, Drina."

"I'm always here for you Annie. Us victors have to stick together, we're all each other has sometimes."

She lets go of me and starts to walk toward the penthouse.

"Annie, wait." I call after her, and she turns around.

"Who was it?" I ask. "Who hurt you?"

"Aelius," she whispers. "Aelius Lorden."

I knew it. He's one of the richest men in the Capitol. He's always betting on the young, pretty girls. He's paid for both me and Johanna before, sometimes together. But he's strong, and he's mean. He gets off on inflicting pain on his victims. Jo and I can handle it, because we've faced worse. Not Annie.

"I'll see you tonight, Annie." I say with a soft smile.

I press the button to go down, and the elevator doors open. Finnick's younger and more arrogant clone, River Ford, steps out, shirtless as usual. A sly smirk spreads across his face as he sees me.

"Well, hello there, beautiful. I don't believe this is your floor."

I roll my eyes, "Fuck off, Ford. Don't you have some airhead Capitol teenagers waiting to obsess over you?"

"Aw, come on, Audrina. That's no way to treat your successor."

I laugh dryly, "Successor? Okay, Ford. If thats what you want to call it. I gladly give you my crown."

He steps closer, towering over me. I can feel the heat radiating from his body, but I'm not bothered by it. He doesn't intimidate me.

"Fuck, River," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "What the hell do you want? I'm exhausted, starving, and pissed so now is really not the time to flirt with me."

"Oh, that's cute," River says. "You think I'm _flirting_ with you. You're adorable, Prescott. I think you're the one who wants me. Why else would you be up on the District Four floor so early in the morning if it wasn't to run into me?"

"If you must know, I was walking Annie back to Mags. Finnick had to go see Snow, I was just helping him out. Annie got pretty messed up by Lorden last night."

River's smile falters, and for a second, I think he might actually care about something other than his own reflection.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I really have to go."

"I'll be looking for you tonight, Prescott. Don't leave me waiting."

"Don't count on it, Ford. I have other things to worry about tonight, your feelings are not on that list."

* * *

"Well look who finally decided to grace us with his presence," I say sarcastically as Cato walks into the dining room.

He looks even more exhausted than I feel, and that's saying something. There's something else in his eyes, though. More than just pure exhaustion. He looks defeated. He looks like he's given up. My heart sinks. I know my sister must have something to do with it.

"Where's Clo?" Enobaria asks. "You both missed the training scores last night."

"How'd we do?" Cato asks in a bored tone, picking up a piece of toast and spreading butter on it like its the most important thing in the world.

"Both tens," Enobaria says.

Cato smirks at me, "She beat you, then."

"Shut up." I retort.

I only scored a nine. I was the first and only female in my family to not score a ten in her private session. I guess I probably deserved it. I was always the cocky one who thought the victory would simply be handed to me. I should have known that Snow wouldn't make it so easy. I'm proud of my sister, but I'm jealous too. Part of me still wishes she had scored the same as me.

"How about the other tributes?" Cato asks.

"Most of them were average. District One both got nines, the boy from Four got an eight, and the girl got a nine. The big one, from Eleven got a ten, and the little girl got a seven. That was surprising."

"What about the pair from Twelve?" Cato asks curiously.

Enobaria and I look at each other nervously.

"Well the boy got an eight. Probably because of his strength," Enobaira says, shifting her gaze to the ground.

"And Katniss?"

"She did better than anyone suspected," I say nonchalantly.

Cato puts down his knife, and glares up at me.

"What was her score, Audrina?" he hisses.

"An eleven."

As expected, Cato loses his temper. He brings his fist down on the table, knocking over several glasses of water.

"An _eleven_? What the fuck did she do to earn and eleven?"

"You know we don't know that," says Enobaria.

"She's the first to die. As soon as I get in the arena, I'm wrapping my hands around that fire girl's throat. Who does she think she is? I _knew _she was trained. And no one believed me except for Clove."

"Speaking of Clove, you never answered my question, Cato." Enobaria says, changing the subject before Cato inevitably breaks something expensive. "Where's Clove?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

The room falls silent, and Enobaria looks up at Cato with fire in her eyes. Cato sets down his knife and stares back at her with the same amount of hatred.

"You're kidding, right?" Enobaria asks cooly.

"No," Cato says, looking her dead in the eyes.

"What did you do to her?" Enobaria growls.

Something about what Enobaria says pushes Cato over the edge. He stands up and pushes his chair away forcefully, knocking it to the ground.

"Why is it always what did _I _do to _her_? Why am I the monster? All I've ever done is protect her and love her with everything in me. Every single thing I have ever done has been for Clove. She's your fucking tribute, Enobaria. She's _your _responsibility. Not mine. If you want her, go find her."

My eyes widen. No one has ever spoken to Enobaria like that. Except maybe me, but I probably got my ass kicked for it.

Enobaria pushes herself out of her chair and stands up, baring her pointed teeth with a hiss. For a second, I think she's actually going to hurt him, and I don't have it in me to stop her.

"We have a big, _big _day today, my tributes!" Seraphina squeals. "Now, Mal and Deva are hard at work on your outfits for the big night! Today you'll each spend half of the day with me, covering _etiquette,_ and the other half with your mentor, practicing for your interviews! Wait- where is Clove?"

Now that Seraphina has finally looked up from her clipboard, she realized that Clove is nowhere in sight, and that Enobaria and Cato are at each other's throats.

"I was just about to go find her, actually!" I say, desperate to get away from the situation.

Without another word, I leave the room. I check Clove's room first, and then Cato's. She's not in either of them. I check the kitchen, the living room, and the study, but she's nowhere to be found. Irritated, I make my way back to the dining room. Terra, the avox, is walking out of the kitchen with her arms full of plates. She lowers her eyes when she sees me.

"Excuse me?" I ask, touching her shoulder.

She looks up, her eyes wide with fear.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just wondering if you saw my sister, Clove? The female tribute. She's like five feet tall with long black hair? Do you know where she went?"

Terra nods, and points to the door at the end of the hallway.

"Thank you," I say, and start to walk toward the door.

"Terra, wait." I call out, turning around. "Cato is amazing. He's my best friend in the whole world. He loves my sister and I more than anything. You should be proud of him. I wish you had gotten to know him like we have."

Tears pool in Terra's eyes and she nods, giving me a small smile before hurriedly heading back to the dining room, not wanting to be seen speaking to me. I head for the door she directed me to, and walk up the several flights of stairs. Of course, the roof. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. My mom told Clove and I about the roof and the little secret garden up there. She told us how she and my dad would sneak up there at night when she was a tribute. Sometimes, she just wanted to get away from everything happening with the Games. When I was a tribute, I did the same thing. Sure enough, Clove is there, leaning against the railing. Silently, I move to stand next to her and offer her my hand. She takes it without a word, and I give her a reassuring squeeze.

We stand in silence for awhile, and finally Clove turns to me, "How did you know where to find me?"

"Cato's mom pointed me in the right direction."

Clove's eyebrows furrow and she looks confused, "Drina, Cato's mom is dead."

_Shit. _He didn't tell her yet.

"Fuck," I whisper. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what?" Clove says angrily, pulling her hand away from mine.

"His mom. She's an avox. The blonde one who's always working in the dining room when we eat."

"That's insane," Clove says, shaking her head in disbelief. "Brutus said she died. The Peacekeepers arrested her and killed her."

"We all thought that, Clo. It turns out her punishment was much worse."

"How do you know it was her?" Clove crosses her arms over her chest.

"Seraphina called her Terra. Enobaria knew that was her name, and recognized her face. She remembers her. She was there when Terra had Cato."

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" she asks, her voice cracking with emotion.

"I don't know, Clo. I'm sorry. I thought he would have told you already. I only knew because I was there when Enobaria recognized her."

"When did this happen?" Clove asks, running her hands through her hair.

"The morning after the tribute parade."

"It's been three fucking days and no one bothered to tell me? We see her every morning and night and no one mentioned anything?"

"We thought Cato had already told you and didn't want to bring it up anymore."

"Well, he didn't."

"What happened, Clove?" I say softly. Between her anger and the scene Cato made this morning, I know something is wrong.

"I ended it." Clove says simply.

"Ended it?" I ask, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes. With Cato. It's done. I don't love him anymore."

I sigh. I've heard this story one too many times. Clove and Cato have known each other for over five years, and this isn't the first time there's been trouble in paradise. Clove is an immature, bratty, temperamental, stubborn teenager. Whenever she gets scared, gets her feelings hurt, or feels like she's not in control, she runs. And she says whatever hurtful things necessary to convince herself she's doing the "right" thing.

"Well, first of all, that's complete bullshit. No one's buying that you don't love Cato, so let's just keep that one to ourselves. Second, what on earth would possess you to do that?"

"Because only one of us can win. And I don't know what else to do."

My heart drops to my stomach, "I'm sorry, Clove."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything. Cato and I were just never meant to be."

"You're the one paying for everyone else's actions. You're the only one in our family who is innocent. You never spoke a word against the Capitol, and now you're being punished for everything we did."

"I'm not innocent, Audrina."

It kills me that she's right. She's not innocent. She's far from it. But at least she's better than I am.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I ask.

Clove nods, "I have to make him believe I don't love him anymore. We have to do our best to survive without each other for once. He'd take his own life for me, and I think I'd do the same for him. That mentality is going to get us nowhere. We have to treat each other like we would any other competitor. It's the only way District Two will have their victor, and that's the most important thing."

"When did you get so strong, Clo?" I ask, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I learned from my sister," she whispers, hugging me back.

We stay on the roof for awhile, watching the city below as it comes to life. Capitol citizens emerge from their shiny apartment buildings with their horrid bright colored hair and cartoon faces.

"I wish I could stay here forever. On top of the world, just looking down at the madness that happens below me. The madness I don't ever want to be a part of."

Clove's words break my heart. Of course, there's nothing more I want than to protect her from the Capitol. I never wanted her to have to play these Games.

"We should probably go back, Clo. Before Seraphina sends out a search party."

Clove nods and we walk back to the penthouse in silence. As expected, Seraphina throws a fit, and only Enobaria can calm her. I leave Clove with Enobaria and Seraphina and go find Cato. The day before interviews is pointless, in my opinion. I guess it's good to give the tributes a break after their three days of training, but for the Career kids, it's unnecessary. All it does is prolong the inevitable.

Cato and I spend the rest of the morning watching old reruns of the Games and going over strategy. We avoid the topic of Clove at all costs. We request that lunch be brought to us in the study so that we don't see Clove or Enobaria, and eat in complete silence.

Cato clears his throat after a few minutes, "Did you talk to her?"

"I did."

He looks at me desperately, and I know he wants to know if she changed her mind. I shake my head.

"I'm sorry. She doesn't want to get hurt."

"When have I ever hurt her?" says Cato, raising his voice in anger.

"It's not that, and you know it. She knows she'll lose you one way or another. She doesn't want to prolong the process."

"What if there was a way to let us both live?"

"There isn't."

"What if they knew we loved each other. What if we killed all the other tributes in unforgettable ways, until it was just us left. And refused to kill each other."

He's so desperate to find a way to beat this system that he doesn't realize how crazy he sounds.

"Cato, they won't change the rules. They didn't change them for me and Crisis. They didn't change them for any one else. They won't change them for you."

"We can try, Drina. They can't force us to kill each other. Either they let us both live, or kill one of us."

"Cato, no. It's over and you need to accept that. It's for the best."

"No. I'm not going to accept it, Audrina!" Cato yells, standing up. "I love Clove more than anything in the world, and I'm not going to give up like you did. I'm going to fight for her. For us. Maybe if you had done the same Crisis would still be here."

My blood boils, "How _dare_ you, Cato. I loved Crisis. I did everything I could to keep him alive. And when Noah killed him, I avenged him."

"Yeah? And what would you have done if it was only the two of you in the finale? Would you have bashed his head in just like you did to the mad girl from Nine? Or would you have carved his heart out and kept it as a souvenir just like you did to everyone else? That's the difference between you and Clove. You're a monster. You carve out your victims hearts because you don't have one of your own. You claimed to love Crisis, but you have no idea what love means."

With that he gets up and walks to the door, "We're done here. I'll go find Seraphina."

* * *

It's nearly midnight, and I'm standing on the front steps of the remake center smoking a cigarette and waiting for Johanna. The rest of the day was quiet in the penthouse. After Cato left, Enobaria and I helped Clove with strategy. Before long it was time for dinner. Clove decided to eat in her room, and so did Cato. Enobaria had a date with a client and left before dinner, leaving me to suffer through a taxing meal alone with Seraphina.

The doors open, and Finnick and River step out looking like twin greek gods.

"Hey, Finn." I say, taking another drag.

"Hello to you too, _Audrina_." River says sarcastically.

"Where's Annie?" I ask, refusing to acknowledge River.

"She's staying in tonight," he says with a shrug. "I guess someone else picked up the job she had lined up. Not that I'm complaining. It kills me every time she's forced to go see that scumbag."

Perfect, I think. "How is she?"

"Better now that she's with Mags. I just wish I didn't have to bring either of them here every year. River and I can handle the mentoring by ourselves, but Snow insists."

"I know the feeling," I say, as Johanna walks outside, cursing the tube sock she's wearing as a dress.

"Where are you two off to?" Finnick asks.

"That fucking asshole, Lor-"

"Upper west side," I say, cutting Johanna off. She glares at me.

"We're off to the east side. See you in the morning. Stay safe, okay?" Finnick says, pulling both of us into a hug. He's always protected us like an older brother.

"You too, Finn." I say.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm just the new guy." River says.

"Have fun, River. Don't pretend like you don't enjoy the attention." Johanna says with a smirk.

We don't really hate River. But he's new, and he's immature. He's enjoyed his year as the reigning Victor, but little does he know that it's all about to start crumbling down. Soon he'll realize that there's hidden cameras all over his house. Peacekeepers will search his home without any reason. Snow will start visiting unannounced, and he'll be forced to do terrible things in order to keep himself and his family alive. He's egotistical and ignorant but deep down we all feel sorry for him.

"Do you want to tell me why we got stuck with Lorden on the only night we had off?" Johanna hisses once the boys are out of earshot.

"Because we're going to kill him," I say simply, opening my leather jacket to show her the several knives I have strapped on the inside.

Johanna's eyes widen with horror. I link my arm with hers, guiding her in the direction of Lorden's apartment.

"God, you really _are_ as fucking crazy as everyone says you are."

"Thank you," I say, taking it as a compliment.

"Drina," Johanna starts, "It's not that I'm not opposed to killing Lorden. I hate the bastard. But we're going to get caught."

"No we're not. We're going to leave a message, but absolutely no evidence."

"In case you haven't noticed, we don't exactly live in a democracy with a fair justice system."

"Which is exactly why we're going to kill him. Tonight. Tomorrow everyone's going to be so caught up in the interviews, the parties, the start of the Games, no one will even notice he's gone until long after the Games end."

Johanna stops walking, and looks at me with fear in her eyes. I know she genuinely thinks I've completely lost my mind. And maybe I have, but I'm going to do this. With or without her help.

"Jo, he hurt Annie. We can't let him get away with it."

Johanna sighs, "I know."

"We're the only ones experienced enough to get away with it. And what else can Snow take from us?"

This convinces Johanna. She's the only other victor I know that has nothing left to lose. All I had was Clove, and Snow found a way to take her too.

"Are you sure about this?" Johanna asks as we stop in front of Aelius Lorden's apartment building.

"Absolutely not," I say, fixing my tight black dress and fluffing my hair.

"Great," Johanna says, rolling her eyes.

I turn my attention to Johanna, adjusting her red dress so that it shows more leg and more cleavage.

"Check my teeth."

"You're good, me?" Johanna asks, showing me her perfectly straight, surgically altered white teeth that look just like mine and every other victor's.

"You're good," I reply. "Ready?"

"Not even in the slightest."

"How hard can it be? We take him out to dinner, seduce him, get him drunk, and on our way back here, stick a knife in his chest." I say, shrugging.

"I know I'm a crazy bitch," Johanna says, linking her arm with mine. "But _you_, you are criminally insane.

"There's a reason we won the Hunger Games, sweetheart. And it wasn't by playing nice."

* * *

_Oh you know me, I'm the life of the party_  
_Beautiful people surround me_  
_Everybody falling in love_  
_Oh you know me, everybody knows that I'm crazy_  
_Sticks and stones they never break me_  
_And I'm the type that don't give a fuck_

_And that's just the half of it_  
_You saw the half of it_  
_Yeah this is the life I live_  
_And that's just the half of it_

_You saw me on the television  
Saw me on the television_

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing to this story, it really means so much! Let me know in a review if you liked reading Audrina's POV in this chapter, and seeing how the other half lives. Hope you all enjoyed Chapter 8! x**

**********************For pictures, character descriptions and more please visit the _Born To Die_ blog:**** borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**If you haven't already, please go check out my best friend Dom's (Cosmoguy here on FF) story _Year of Silence_ which covers Milla Fiori's Games. _  
_**

**Dom and I also created a blog for all of the Victors in our stories: thg-victors . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**Lyrics: Half of Me - Rihanna**


	9. Dirty Gold

**Clove's POV**

* * *

_Take a breath, say you love me_  
_We both know that everything changes_

_Keep in mind that none of this is fiction_  
_This is just a glimpse into the head of a menace_  
_We were two different children_  
_But we born of the same moon_  
_Blowing entire opposite_  
_We were brought up the same too_  
_I used to hate you because they celebrate you_  
_And you made them notice every single thing I can't do_

* * *

"You look beautiful," Audrina says, leaning against the doorway.

I smile halfheartedly, "I don't feel very beautiful."

"Neither did I. But if they believe it, that's all that matters."

"I guess," I say with a yawn.

I didn't sleep last night. It was the first night in almost four years that I didn't have Cato with me. I try to convince myself that it didn't really bother me, but it's a lie. I tossed and turned all night, and when I went into Audrina's room, she wasn't there. I've never known what it was like to feel alone, but in that moment, I did. I better get used to the feeling.

"Do you know how you're going to go about the interview?" Audrina asks, applying black kohl to her eyes and smudging it.

It amazes me how she manages to look so beautiful and absolutely lethal at the same time. Even tonight, the night I've looked forward to since I was a little girl, Audrina still manages to upstage me. I'm used to it. I'll always be the black sheep, the shadow of my beautiful, dangerous sister.

"I guess I'll just be myself." I reply, though the last thing I want to do is go up on that stage and talk about myself.

"Clove, you're from a family of victors. Everybody expects you to win."

"Everybody expected Milla to win too."

"Milla should have won, she let her morals get in the way of her victory. I'm not going to let you do the same."

It's always frustrated me how the rest of my family talked about Milla after her death. She was the first person in the bloodline not to win her Games. Beka, my grandfather's older sister, won the very first Hunger Games when she was seventeen. My mom's parents, Eros and Marlena won their Games. My dad's parents, Scarlet and Caius won as well. Eros and Beka founded the Training Center, employing all of the previous victors as trainers. At the time, it was highly secretive and confidential, and everyone was breaking several laws and facing execution by doing it. Sure enough, their plan to breed victors worked. District Two flourished. Families no longer lived in fear of their children being reaped because there was always a volunteer ready to take their place. The dirty slums and broken buildings that were the aftermath of the war, suddenly turned into beautiful, gleaming architecture. The Capitol was so proud of our district for embracing the Games and staying loyal, that they rewarded us by turning a blind eye to the Training Center.

My parents and Milla all grew up in the Training Center. Sure enough, once they came of age, they both won. The Fiori's and Prescott's were idolized and envied by all of Panem, and they were practically royalty in District Two. When it was Milla's turn, no one questioned her victory. Mentors lost all hope in their tributes when they saw that Milla had volunteered. Tributes gave up. Almost everyone in the Capitol put their money on Milla. She was a Fiori. She had to win.

And then she didn't.

Her death shocked the entire nation, and enraged my family. After her body came home in a box, my mother was the only person who ever acknowledged Milla as a part of the family. Everyone else simply pretended she never existed. Audrina and I were never allowed to watch Milla's Games, though I had always assumed it was because it was too difficult for my mother to relive. Later, Audrina told me that our family was ashamed of Milla. They just acted like her Games never existed. I tried to find a copy of the tape, but I couldn't. Even in the Training Center, where we have multiple copies of every Games since the very first, except for the 49th. Beka and my grandparents had all of the tapes destroyed. They held so much power in District Two that they could.

"I'm not going to be like Milla. And if I was, neither of us would even know it. We've never seen her Games. We don't even know what happened."

Audrina just rolls her eyes and pretends to be busy with something else, which is really just a thing she does when she's proven wrong and doesn't have a good enough comeback. I smile to myself. Audrina may surpass me in just about everything else, but I can outsmart her any day.

"Is she ready?" Seraphina screeches, bounding through the door in a flurry of black hair, red lipstick and glitter.

"Almost!" Moxie chirps, adding the finishing touches to my makeup.

"Oh, you made her so beautiful, Mal!" Seraphina gushes.

She reaches for my long black hair, which has been slicked back into a high ponytail. Nesta has coined it my signature look for the Games. According to her, it screams "bad girl".

"Don't touch!" Nesta snaps, slapping Seraphina's hand away.

"She has always been beautiful, Seraphina. And if you couldn't see than until now then I highly recommend you get your vision checked," Mal says as she steams the blood red dress she has designed for me.

Seraphina pouts, and sits down next to Audrina, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Has anyone checked on Cato?" Audrina asks absentmindedly, flipping through a Capitol gossip magazine with her eyebrows furrowed, as if she's looking for something specific.

"I believe that's your job." Enobaria says in a bored tone, filling up her wine glass for the third time in the last hour.

"I suppose it is."

"You're a terrible mentor," says Enobaria, rolling her eyes.

"Fuck you too," Audrina says, standing up and heading for the door.

"She's been pissing me off more than usual lately," Enobaria mumbles.

I laugh, "You're not the only one."

"I think we're ready!" Moxie squeals, turning my chair to face the mirror so that I can see my reflection.

I'm taken aback by the girl I see staring back at me. Compared to this, my makeup for the Opening Ceremonies made me look like a fairy princess. Now, I look lethal. I look like I just ripped someone's heart out and ate it. My eyes are smoldering, surrounded by smoky black eyeshadow and winged eyeliner so sharp it could slit someone's throat. My lips are deep red and glossy, giving the illusion that they are coated in blood. My nails are black and pointed at the tip. And my fingers and wrists are adorned in silver rings and bracelets.

Kaixin and Mal help me into my dress. The top is a tight corset with tulle flaring out at the waist and reaching to my upper thigh. Mal has paired the dress with black fishnet tights and black studded ankle boots. The juxtaposition of the childish dress with the studded boots and deadly makeup sends a clear message. I look young and innocent. But I will put a knife into your heart in an instant. I am a little girl who has been betrayed. I have had everything taken from me. I have been turned into a monster. And now, I want revenge.

"Do you like it?" Mal asks, breaking the silence as we all stare in awe at my reflection in the mirror.

I wrap my arms around Mal, squeezing her tightly, "I love it."

"I think I like you a lot more than your sister," Mal laughs, hugging me back.

"Join the club," Enobaria says laughing.

She stands behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders.

"You look beautiful, Clove. This is your night. I know it's hard, but try to enjoy it."

I smile and turn around to hug Enobaria, "Thank you. For everything. I-I don't know if I ever told you how much I appreciate you. And now this might be my last-"

"_Shh,_" Enobaria says, placing a finger on my lips. "Don't talk like that."

"Enobaria," I say, my voice shaking. "I don't think I'm coming out of that arena."

Enobaria nods, tears pooling in her eyes, "I don't know if you are either. Snow rigged the Reaping. He knew you planned to volunteer. He wouldn't have reaped you early unless he had ulterior motives. I think-"

Tears are streaming down Enobaria's face now. Seeing her cry makes tears fall from my own eyes.

"What, Enobaria?" My voice is small and childlike.

"I think he wants to kill you. At first, I thought he was sending a message. I thought he wanted to torture you by putting you in with Cato. I thought he wanted to hurt Audrina by pitting you against each other. But now I don't think so. He's plotting something evil and horrible for you in the arena, Clove, I can feel it. He hates your sister. He hated your father even more. He'll kill you because of them."

I nod, trying hard to blink back my tears.

"I know," I say with a small smile. "I've always known. I am the daughter of one known traitor and the sister of another. Snow can't let me live any longer than he has."

Enobaria chokes back a sob, "I'm so sorry, Clove."

I wrap my arms around her and let her tears fall onto my shoulders. Enobaria has been strong for us for so long. She raised us. She trained us. She did everything she could to protect us. She wiped our tears, patched up our wounds, and taught us everything we know. She has always been our shoulder to cry on; she's always been our rock. Someone needs to be hers.

* * *

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!"

Caesar Flickerman, the man who has hosted the interviews for as long as I can remember, struts onto the stage as lights flash and upbeat music blares through the speakers. The crowd roars in applause and adrenaline courses through my veins.

"Welcome to the Seventy Fourth Annual Hunger Games! Now, I know you're all very anxious to meet this year's tributes, shall we bring them out?"

The crowd erupts in screams once more, and the District One escort motions for Glimmer to begin walking.

"Heads high, back straight, shoulders down. You own this arena. You are royalty. Let them see it." Seraphina whispers, fixing the collar of Cato's suit.

As if I wasn't anxious enough, the fact that Cato is behind me and we haven't seen, much less spoken to, each other for two days makes me nauseous. I focus my eyes on Marvel's obnoxious blue tuxedo and hold my head high, walking out onto the stage. The crowd screams our names as we make our way to our seats. I expected it, the career pack are always Capitol favorites. Still, the rush it gives me takes me by surprise. I smile coyly and lift my hand to wave. Glimmer does the same, waving, winking, blowing kisses to the crowd. Marvel waves stupidly, flexing his nonexistent muscles in a failed attempt to impress.

I take my seat and glance at Cato. A lump forms in my throat and my chest aches. He looks strong, sexy, dangerous and brave. He looks every part the District Two victor. I'm overcome with a desperate longing to change the past. I imagine that I am at home in District Two, curled up on the couch in Audrina's house watching him on screen. I'd be alone, so I could smile all I want and no one could judge me. I imagine walking into the Training Center to watch the Games with the other trainees. I see myself watching proudly as Cato slays the weak tributes at the Cornucopia. I'd give anything to make things the way they were supposed to be.

Cato turns and catches my gaze for a second. I turn away, embarrassed that I was caught staring.

"Clove," Cato says.

His eyes make their way up and down my body. He swallows hard, and I meet his gaze. Blue eyes bore into mine, making my heart race. They are wide and filled with sadness and desperation.

"I-" he starts, but he is interrupted by Caesar.

"Oh, aren't they all just beautiful?" Caesar gushes. "I sure can't wait any longer, and I know you can't either. Without further ado, let's bring out our first tribute from District One! Let's see if she really does shine, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Glimmer!"

Glimmer rises from her seat and makes her way to Caesar. She is wearing a gold gown that is completely sheer, leaving nothing to the imagination. It makes me sick to see her objectified and sexualized like this. Still, she plays up the vixen act, making the Capitol fall all over her. They can't see the pain in her eyes like I do. They don't see that it's killing her. She's being forced to stand practically naked in front of the entire nation, and all because she had the misfortune of being born a beautiful female.

Glimmer's answers are confident and straight forward. She doesn't give away any strategy, but she makes sure to let the audience know that she knows exactly what she's doing. She avoids any personal and uncomfortable questions with sly winks and flirtatious gestures. Before I realize, her three minutes are up, and Glimmer is making her way back to her seat. Our eyes meet as Glimmer sits down. I give her a small reassuring smile, which she returns. It's not until she turns away and her face catches the light, that I see two small tears roll down her cheek.

"Next up, Marvel!"

My heart drops as I realize that I am next. I have exactly three minutes before all eyes are on me. I've been so caught up with everything else that I've hardly even thought about my interview. In hindsight, probably not the best idea. Suddenly Marvel's buzzer goes off, and the crowd applauds. I'm jolted from my thoughts and my heart races. I counted on those three minutes lasting a lot longer than that, but I'll take what I can get. Marvel takes his seat next to me.

"Good luck, Two." Marvel says with a wink. Gross. As if I needed something else to feel sick about.

"Next up is our little pistol from District Two. You've heard of her. Many of you have waited for this moment for years. Ladies and gentlemen, Clove Prescott!"

Great. I forgot my name comes with a mild amount of prestige and celebrity. Unlike the other tributes, the Capitol has been anticipating my arrival for years. The other tributes are unknown names and faces from places they have never been. But they know my name. They know who I am. And they expect me to win.

I take my seat in the plush red chair beside Caesar, and he shakes my hand enthusiastically.

"Clove Prescott of the Fiori-Prescott's. You cannot imagine how exciting it is for us to finally have you here. Am I right, folks?" Caesar turns to the crowd and they cheer in agreement.

I smile and give a little wave, "I'm excited to be here as well."

He turns back to me, "Ever since your sister won we have been counting down the days until Little Prescott volunteered! But you didn't volunteer, did you?"

Not the question I was expecting, but Fiori blood runs in my veins. I'm capable of anything.

"No, Caesar, I didn't. I planned to volunteer in three years, when I turned eighteen, but my name was called this year. I don't mind though. I know I'm ready, and I know I can win. I may be small, but I'm stronger than most of my competitors."

"So much confidence, I love it! Don't you?" The crowd screams again and I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. They're kind of making me want to put a knife in everyone's skull.

"Now, Clove. You are only fifteen, am I right?"

"Yes."

"So was your sister, Audrina. Isn't that a coincidence, folks?"

No. It's not a coincidence at all, I think.

"We're Fiori-Prescott's. The Hunger Games are in our blood. We were always meant to be tributes, it just happened a little earlier than expected. Audrina's young age didn't hinder her abilities in the arena, and it won't hurt me either."

Caesar smiles enthusiastically, "I just _love _that! This right here, folks, is what the Hunger Games are all about. Such spirit, such excitement and eagerness in this young girl!"

"So, Clove, tell me what it's like being related to so many victors. For those who don't know, Clove is a descendent of Panem's very first victor, Beka Fiori."

The crowd is silent and attentive now, eager to hear my story. The thing is, I don't want to tell it. I didn't come here to talk about my dead family. I came here to talk about me. My accomplishments. My skills. My victory. Even when I'm a tribute in the fucking Hunger Games, it's still about all of them.

"I've grown up with the Games. It comes with a lot of fame and prestige, and certainly a lot of benefits. However, growing up, there was a lot of pressure put on me and my sister. Everyone expected Audrina to win, and she did. Now, everyone expects me to win."

"Will you?" Caesar asks.

"Of course, Caesar." I say with a bright smile.

Once more the crowd erupts in cheers.

"What's it like being the sister of Capitol vixen Audrina Prescott?" Caesar asks once the crowd dies down. "Are you two close?"

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

"Yes, Caesar, we're very close. Audrina is my best friend. She always has been and she always will be."

"How did you feel when Audrina went into the arena in the 72nd Hunger Games?"

"I was happy for her. I knew it was her destiny. I hardly ever slept, I didn't want to miss a minute, it was all so exciting."

Lies. I was scared out of my fucking mind. I didn't sleep because I feared I would wake up and my sister would be dead.

"How beautiful, don't you think, folks? What was it like growing up together, raised by parents who were both past victors?"

The mention of my parents makes my pulse race, and it becomes more difficult to breathe. Frantically, I search the crowd for Audrina. My eyes meet hers and I'm suddenly calm. She stares into my eyes and nods reassuringly.

* * *

_I'm numb._

_The last funeral I went to was for my grandfather, Caius. I was only three years old, and he was my last living grandparent. I hardly remember it. Still, I remember it wasn't like this. Caius was a victor. He was celebrated. Hundreds of people came to see him laid to rest. Part of me thought this would be the same. It's not. _

_There are exactly six people here. Me, Audrina, Enobaria, Brutus, Lyme, and Demetria._

_Three headstones rest in front of me. They are plain. Simple. Forgettable. They are not the headstones of three of the country's favorite victors. They are not suitable for the wealthiest, most powerful, most respected family in District Two. _

_Here lies Orion Prescott. Victor. Mentor. Husband. Father._

_Here lies Cara Fiori-Prescott. Victor. Mentor. Sister. Mother. Wife._

_Here lies Orion Prescott. Victor. Mentor. Brother. Husband. _

_They are the headstones of traitors._

_I heard a man talking to Enobaria last night. That's what he called them. Traitors. He said they deserved their fate. That they deserved to die. _

_I asked Enobaria if that was true. She told me yes. But I think she was lying. She says we have to be careful what we say in the house. She says people listen. _

_Audrina nudges my arm, getting my attention. She hands me a tissue. I didn't realize I had been crying. I wipe my tears, but it's no use. They keep falling. Audrina slips her hand into mine and squeezes it tightly. I feel better. She'll protect me. I know she will. _

_Everyone is silent, except for the hot wind rustling the trees and tears falling. _

_After awhile, Brutus lays a single white rose on each grave. My mother was his mentor. My father trained him. He mentored Orion during his Games._

_Eventually, Demetria does the same. She mentored both of my parents. _

_Lyme follows, spending more time at my mother's grave. Lyme won the Games the year after my mother. They were best friends since childhood. They were roommates in the Training Center. They spent every waking minute together. They trained together and fought alongside each other. Eventually, my mother mentored Lyme and helped her win. They were inseparable. _

_The sun begins to set and there's only the three of us. The only family I have left. _

_"We have to say goodbye," Enobaria whispers._

_I shake my head and Audrina squeezes my hand harder. I don't mind. I have long since lost all feeling in that hand. _

_Together, we say goodbye. We leave roses on the graves, and promise to visit soon. We walk back to Victor's Village in silence. Enobaria cooks dinner in silence, and we eat in silence. Later, we sit down on the couch to watch television in silence. I wonder if this will be my life from now on. Eternal silence. I wonder if we'll all be this upset forever, or if one day we will begin to heal. It doesn't seem possible that we will. _

_Suddenly my thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. _

_"Just wait here," Enobaria says worriedly._

_Several minutes pass and Enobaria doesn't come back. _

_"Should we go check on her?" I ask Audrina._

_"I think if she needed us she'd call us." Audrina says, her eyes never leaving the television. _

_It's not even interesting. It's just some dumb reality show about the District Eight victor from ten years ago, Cecelia. She became a famous fashion designer after she won her Games. Now she has a television show for aspiring designers. It's on it's eighth season, and just gets worse every year. I turn my attention back to the screen just as a stick thin model with bright green hair struts down the runway wearing a dress made completely out of candy. _

_"Who would ever put that on their body?" I ask with a laugh._

_Audrina shrugs, hardly acknowledging me. _

_I stop smiling. I shouldn't be laughing. I shouldn't be happy. What was I thinking?_

_"You're not taking them away from me, Icarus. Over my dead fucking body."_

_The sudden voices make me jump. I look to Audrina with wide, fear-filled eyes. She grabs my hand and pulls me from the couch. _

_"Shh," she whispers, placing a finger over her lips._

_She leads me to the hallway, and we lean against the wall, listening. I peer around the corner, where Enobaria is arguing with an older man. Two big men stand behind him. _

_"They belong in the Training Center, Enobaria. That's where orphans go."_

_"They are _not_ orphans."_

_"Their parents are dead."_

_"I am the only family they have left, Icarus. You cannot do this to them!" Enobaria screams._

_"No. You are not. You are their sister by marriage, not by blood. Cara and Titan had no will. The law states that orphaned children are to be put under the custody of the next of kin. That is me. Titan was _my _nephew, and those girls are my great nieces. I decide what happens to them from now on. I am the only family they have left. Not you."_

_"You have no relation to Scarlett or Caius. How can you be their uncle?"_

_"Caius was not Titan's biological father, Enobaria. My brother was."_

_"Arrow?"_

_"Scarlett got pregnant before the Games. Arrow died in the arena. She found out she was pregnant when she got home. Caius was her mentor, he agreed to play the part of the father and marry her so she wouldn't be branded a whore by the Capitol. Caius told me before he died. Neither Titan nor Cara ever knew the truth."_

_"Bullshit," Enobaria sneers. "Cara would never allow it. Neither would Titan. They trained their children themselves. They wanted a better life for them than the Center."_

_"Cara Fiori was a pretentious bitch, acting like the Training Center was below her. It was her own father and aunt that built it. She inherited every cent of the Fiori fortune when Eros died and raised those girls as princesses. Well, now the queen is dead and those princesses belong to me."_

_"You're lying. You won't get away with this, Brazier."_

_"Try to stop me, Rosetti. I'll take a blood test right here. Those girls are my nieces."_

_"They don't even know who you are. They've been through enough trauma, you can't do this to them. They need _me_."_

_"How can I expect them to win the Hunger Games if they can't handle a little death."_

_"Their entire family was slaughtered in front of them!" Enobaria cries. "They were beaten and raped, and left to die in a pool of their father's blood."_

_"Of course they survived. Victor blood runs through their veins. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. These girls are exactly what District Two needs. We haven't had a victor since you. Our funds are running low. When these girls volunteer, people will line up to sponsor them based on their surname alone. They're guaranteed to win."_

_"You sick bastard."_

_"I'm a victor, darling. We're all sick." Icarus says, rolling his eyes. "Look in the mirror Enobaria. Your teeth should be a reminder that you're just as twisted as the rest of us."_

_Enobaria sinks to the floor in violent sobs. _

_"Go get the girls." _

_The two men walk toward us and my heart begins to pound._

_"Audrina, I'm scared." I whisper, clutching her hand._

_"I won't let them hurt you." Audrina says, stepping in front of me. "I'll never let anybody hurt you."_

* * *

"Clove?" Caesar asks, bringing me back to reality.

My mind scrambles to remember his question. My parents, right. Being raised by victors.

"The time I spent with my parents and siblings in our home in Victor's Village was the happiest time of my life. I think my sister would agree."

The cameras move to Audrina's face in the crowd. She smiles brightly and nods.

"_Aww,_" the audience coos. They love her.

Somberly, Caesar reaches for my hand. His skin is powdery and cold, and I feel like I'm clutching the hand of a corpse. I would know. I held the hand of my dead mother until Enobaria dragged me away, kicking and screaming.

"What was it like, Clove, when you found out your parents and brother had been killed in a fire in your home?"

My blood boils. I make a strenuous effort to keep my face neutral, when all I really want to do is take a knife and cut Caesar's obnoxious smile off of his face. They didn't die in a fire, I want to scream. President Snow had them slaughtered in front of us, and then forced us to lie about what happened for fear of our own lives.

"It was devastating." I say cooly, keeping my expressions neutral.

A second passes and my buzzer goes off, signaling the end of my interview. Part of me is pissed that I didn't even get a chance to talk about myself. But a bigger part is thankful. I don't know how much longer I could have lasted up there, spewing lies I have been forced to tell for my entire life.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our very own celebrity, Clove Prescott of District Two!"

I fight the urge to roll my eyes, smiling graciously before I make my way back to my seat. Anger boils up in me, and I feel tears building up behind my eyes. I avoid making eye contact with Cato as they call his name and bring him up. Instead, I look to Glimmer, who gives me a reassuring nod.

_You're okay, _she mouths.

I'm not. But if she believes it, everyone else must believe it too, and that means I kept it together. Even when I felt like I was falling apart.

I tune out most of Cato's interview, focusing instead on composing myself. He remains much more in control of himself, and his interview goes well. He comes off strong and lethal. He's ready for the arena, and the crowd loves him. It's only Caesar's last question that catches me off guard.

"One final question, Cato. Tell me about your district partner, Clove. What's it like being allied with someone of such prestige?"

"Clove is amazing," Cato says softly. "She is strong. Stronger than me, even. She is her own person, and she is not defined by her family's history. She is smart, beautiful, and courageous. I have no doubts she could win these Games with one hand tied behind her back. Of course, I won't let her. The victory is mine."

With that, he gives the crowd a dazzling smile and winks. Cato's buzzer sounds, and the audience applauds and cheers in approval as he makes his way back to his seat.

I am in shock. I glare at him as he takes his seat next to me. Why would he do that, why would he say such stupid things. He established himself as vicious and relentless, and then went and told the audience he actually cared about me. I bite my tongue hard until I taste blood. It's the only thing that's ever prevented me from saying something that will get me into trouble.

Most of the other interviews are uneventful. The boy from three tries to come off as intelligent, but he just sounds terrified. Marina and Caspian sound stupid and forgettable. Brighton, the red haired girl from five is confident and sure of herself, using big words that none of us understand. I'm starting to wonder if she might actually be a threat. She certainly is fearless, and I have to give her props for that.

I'm bored out of my mind and struggling to keep my eyes open by the time Rue, the little one from District Eleven, is called. I force myself to sit up and pay attention. She scored a seven in training. It's unheard of, especially for a twelve year old girl from an outlying district.

She is sweet, dressed in a whimsical gossamer dress complete with wings. The crowd is dead silent during her interview, entranced by her innocence. Caesar is gentle and kind with his questions, asking her about her home and her family. Along with everyone else, he seems to have fallen under her spell. I feel the effect on myself as well. I can't imagine how anyone will be able to kill her. I just hope it's not me who has to.

Her time is almost up, but Caesar squeezes in one final question.

"What do you think will be your greatest strength in the arena, Rue?"

She smiles brightly, and answers with zero hesitation, "I'm very hard to catch. And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."

She smiles and her eyes sparkle with confidence.

"I wouldn't in a million years," Caesar says, resting his hand on Rue's tiny shoulder.

The crowd cheers in agreement. I wouldn't count her out either. I'd be stupid to.

Next up is Thresh, Rue's district partner. They have the same dark skin, but that is all they have in common. Where Rue is small and sweet, Thresh is massive and intimidating. He is quiet, he keeps to himself. Despite his huge stature, I hardly noticed him at all in training. This worries me. I thought he might be our biggest threat when I first saw him on the Reaping recap, but I had all but forgotten about him since them. If he was able to go unnoticed here in the Capitol when he was right under my nose, how will we find and kill him in the arena? Worry and fear bubbles in my stomach. It's okay, I reassure myself. We'll just have to kill him at the Cornucopia.

Thresh answers Caesar's questions with curt yes's and no's, and sometimes he doesn't even answer at all. Both Caesar and the crowd are getting uncomfortable and wary, and I can tell Cesar is relieved when the buzzer sounds and Thresh heads back to his seat.

Then he calls up Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, and I feel sick to my stomach just looking at her. Her dress was obviously made to represent flames, though I'm not exactly sure of the point they're trying to make. There's nothing about her that represents fire. She just looks like a scared little girl. For the life of me, I cannot wrap my mind around the Capitol's obsession with her. I sit up in my chair, genuinely curious about her.

"So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?" Caesar asks, and the crowd listens closely.

However, Katniss doesn't respond. She just stares straight ahead, wide eyes filled to the brim with sheer terror.

"What?" She finally blurts, causing the audience to erupt in laughter.

My eyes narrow in confusion. That wasn't cute. It wasn't funny. She's a complete idiot and she's making the Capitol fall in love with her. How?

"What has impressed you most since you arrived here?" Caesar repeats with a laugh.

"The lamb stew."

Again, the crowd and Caesar explode in hysterical laughter. I look to Glimmer, who has the same look of disgust and confusion on her face. Why do they love her so much?

"The one with the dried plums?" asks Caesar. Katniss nods. "Oh, I eat it by the bucketful! It doesn't show does it?"

Everyone laughs again, shouting their reassurances at Caesar. I look up at the screen, which is still focused on Katniss's face. She looks just as confused as I do. For some reason this angers me even more. They adore her and she's not even trying.

"Now, Katniss," Caesar says, leaning toward her. "When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?"

Right, her fire costume. The only one that managed to upstage Cato and I. I roll my eyes in disgust and cross my arms over my chest.

"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" Katniss asks, and the crowd laughs again.

"Yes. Start then," says Caesar.

"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this either. I mean, look at it!"

She smiles, and lifts the skirt of her dress to show it off before twirling in a circle. The bottom of the dress engulfs her in flames, and just as the fire rises on her dress, it rises inside of me. She's famous because of some fake fire her stylist invented. I trained for this my entire life. I earned this. She's just some little street rat from the slums of District Twelve.

The audience cheers as she twirls, and Caesar begs her not to stop.

"I have to, I'm dizzy!" she giggles, clutching onto Caesar's arm to catch her balance.

Caesar wraps an arm around her, "Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps."

The crowd roars, and the cameras find her drunk mentor, who waves and laughs as well.

"It's all right. She's safe with me. So, how about that training score? E-le-ven. Give us a hint about what happened in there."

I lean forward in my seat. This should be good.

"Um . . . all I can say, is I think it was a first."

No fucking shit.

"You're killing us!" Caesar wails, "Details. Details!"

Katniss glances up to the Gamemakers' balcony, "I'm not supposed to talk about it right?"

"She's not!" shouts one of the Gamemakers.

"Thank you," Katniss says with a smile. "Sorry. My lips are sealed."

I roll my eyes. It's driving me crazy. How did she score higher than Cato and I?

"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping, and you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"

Oh, _fuck _me. Here we go, the sob story of the century.

"Her name's Prim. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything."

The entire audience is so silent, you could hear a in drop.

"What did she say to you? After the reaping?"

"She asks me to try really hard to win."

"And what did you say?" Caesar prompts.

"I swore I would," says Katniss, her voice an octave lower than it had been throughout the entire interview. It's the first thing she's said that has actually sounded genuine.

"I bet you did," says Caesar, pulling Katniss closer to him. "Sorry we're out of time. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District Twelve."

The applause is everlasting. Long after Katniss has taken her seat, the audience continues their cheering and clapping. It makes me want to kill something.

Next, Caesar calls up Peeta, Katniss's halfwit district partner. From the get-go, he has the audience hooked. He makes them laugh, bantering with Caesar about his confusion with the Capitol showers. He plays up his angle as the wholehearted baker's boy, comparing the breads from different districts as if anyone actually gives a shit.

"So," Caesar starts, his voice lowering. "Tell me, Peeta. Do you have a girlfriend waiting for you back in District Twelve?"

Peeta shakes his head rather unconvincingly.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" Caesar asks.

Peeta sighs dramatically, and I know it's all an act for the cameras. He has no other skills to fall back on, so he's using his personality. We'll see how far that gets him when one of my knives is aimed at this skull.

"Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

The crowd voices their sympathy.

"She have another fellow?" asks Caesar.

"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her."

Caesar pats Peeta's shoulder with encouragement, "So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?"

"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning . . . won't help in my case," says Peeta, eyes cast downward.

Of course it won't. Because there's no way you can win.

"Why ever not?" Caesar asks.

Peeta blushes bright red. Blood red. After a few seconds of silence, he stammers, "Because . . . because . . . she came here with me."

The camera flashes to Katniss to capture her reaction, and the crowd gasps. Fury rises in me. Boiling. Burning through my veins. My fingers itch for a knife. I want to kill him.

My ears are ringing so loudly that the rest of the interview just sounds like a blur of voices. Everything is red. Blood. Hot, sticky, red blood. I surrounds me. It's all I see. I squeeze my eyes shut to make it go away, but it doesn't work. Behind my eyelids blood pours into me. Filling my entire body. The pressure builds and builds. I think of my parents. I think of that fateful night. I'm sitting in a pool of blood. Everyone's blood. My mom's, my dad's, Orion's, Audrina's, my own. I don't know whose is whose. But I'm surrounded by it. It's all I see. The pressure is unbearable now.

He stole our only chance. Our only hope of making it out alive was if we could make the Capitol believe that we love each other. And in an instant, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen killed that hope with a blatant lie. They don't love each other. Katniss doesn't love anything or anyone but herself. She's just as bad as the rest of us. She's going along with the ploy to save her own skin.

I will kill him. Both of them. Right here on this stage. I don't care. I won't wait for the arena. I won't give them that chance. They don't deserve to live that much longer. I stand up, eyes burning with fire.

Red. Blood. Fire. Death. Kill.

I don't have a knife. I'll use my nails, my teeth, the stilettos on my shoes, I don't care. They die tonight. The Capitol will execute me for it. Probably send a bullet through my brain right here on the stage. It doesn't matter to me any more. I'll die in the arena anyway, I've already accepted it. And even if I did win, Snow will kill me eventually. Might as well get it over with and go out with a bang.

Peeta is standing with his back to me, waving at the audience as the curtains close. I lurch forward, lunging for him.

_Hell hath no fury like a Fiori scorned._

Suddenly, there are arms around me. Strong arms. They're holding me back, restraining me. It's Cato. He drags me backstage, away from all the chaos.

"Let me go!"

Cato's voice finds my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck.

"No," he growls. "Do you really want my last memory of you to be your blood spilled across this stage? Your corpse with a Peacekeeper's bullet through your skull?"

"He deserves to die, Cato."

"I know. Save it for the arena."

"I can't."

"You have to," he spins me around to face him, gripping my shoulders violently. "You're smarter than this. You're better than this."

I shake my head, "I'm not."

Cato rolls his eyes angrily, biting his tongue and holding back whatever he was going to say to me.

"Give her to me." Audrina says, approaching us.

"Get it together, Prescott," Cato hisses, shoving me into Audrina.

Audrina and Enobaria each grab one of my arms, holding me tightly as they guide me to the elevator.

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Enobaria yells as soon as the glass doors shut.

"I'm pissed. Sorry about it." I retort, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh you're mad, Clovey? Did something the little boy said upset you? Go fucking cry into your pillow, don't try to rip his throat out on national television."

"Enobaria," Audrina growls, stepping in front of me protectively.

"Why the fuck not?" Enobaria says. "She's my tribute and I'm tired of her shit. She's just like you. Immature and stupid. She's not ready for the arena if she's going to act like this."

"Well she didn't have much of a fucking choice now did she?" Audrina yells back, just as the elevator doors open onto our floor.

"You did so wonderful!" Seraphina coos, moving to embrace us.

Enobaria storms past her angrily, and Audrina holds up her hand.

"Not now, Seraphina."

Audrina grabs my hand roughly and drags me into her room.

* * *

"Sit," Audrina commands, gesturing to her bed. "What the fuck was that?"

"The entire Capitol ate up that fucking bullshit love story. That was my only hope. My only chance to save Cato and I. If we could convince the Capitol, they might have let us both live. When he said that he loved her, I could see in Katniss's eyes that he was lying. She's going along with it to save her own skin. It's a ploy. They don't love each other. But now the Capitol thinks they do and our only chance is gone."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to kill them now. Why couldn't you just wait for tomorrow morning?"

"I've been restraining myself from killing them since the reaping recap. What he said pushed me over the edge."

Audrina looks confused, "Why do you hate them so much?"

"It's her. The Capitol loves her. Why? What did she do? Her stylist made her special, it has nothing to do with her. She scored higher than me. She'll probably get more sponsors than me. And for what? I trained for this. I lost everything. This is all I've ever wanted. To be like you. To be like mom. Everyone always told me I was too much like Milla. They never said it out loud, but everyone thought it. No one thought I had what it takes to win. All I've ever wanted was to prove them wrong. Now this little street rat from Twelve comes along and steals everything from me. What is she to them? What did she do to earn this. I worked for this. I _earned _this. I want the spotlight. The glory. The crown."

"Shut up, just _shut up!_" Audrina screams.

I look at her in shock. She's shaking with anger. Her face is bright red, and her eyes are pitch black. She grabs a glass of water from the bedside table and flings it against the wall. Next comes a picture frame. The television remote. A book. She moves to the desk and pushes everything off of it before finding what she is looking for; a letter opener. She throws it toward me and I duck down, terrified of my own sister. I hear the pseudo knife lodge itself into something. Cautiously, I sit up and look behind me. The letter opener is stuck in a portrait of President Snow, in the center of his chest. I wasn't Audrina's target. He was.

"I thought you were going to hurt me."

Audrina's eyes widen in terror, "Do you really think I would?"

I shrug, "You have before. Sometimes anger makes us hurt the people we love."

Something about my words gets to Audrina. She sinks to the floor, overcome by violent sobs.

"Drina," I rush to her side. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?" Audrina manages to get out between her tears. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I told you I would protect you. I promised you I'd never let anyone hurt you, and I failed. I thought I had more time. I thought I had three more years before you volunteered. I was going to talk you out of it. I was going to tell you it wasn't worth it. I was going to tell you the truth. But now it's too late."

"The truth?" I ask.

"You don't want this victory, Clove. Trust me. It's better to die in the arena than to live a life as a victor. If you thought Snow has made your life hell so far, wait until he places a crown on your head."

"What do you mean?" I ask, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Tears pour from Audrina's eyes, "He sells us. For sex. All of us."

My eyes widen.

"Why didn't anyone ever tell us? Enobaria? Mom?"

"They didn't want to scare us. They wanted us to volunteer and win. I just wish I could have told you to run before it was too late. I was going to, before you made the decision to volunteer."

"It's not your fault."

"It is, Clove. I should have protected you. I should have been more careful. I've done so many horrible things in my life. I've killed so many people. I've hurt so many more. But this, this is the worst thing."

We sit in silence, letting Audrina's words sink in. I feel sick to my stomach. The rage from earlier is gone, and in it's place is complete and utter terror. Not of the arena, but of what might happen to me if I ever come out of it.

"I was so jealous of you," I whisper after awhile, leaning my head on my sister's shoulder.

"What, why?" Audrina asks.

"You were perfect. You were mom's favorite. Everyone always said how much you looked like her. They said you would grow up and win the Hunger Games. Like mother like daughter."

"They thought the same of you," Audrina says.

"No," I shake my head. "Everyone compared me to Milla. No one ever said it, but they all thought I would die in the arena, just like she did."

"I never thought that for a second," Audrina says, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "What are we going to do, Clo? We're fucked either way this goes."

"I don't think there's anything we can do anymore. It's too late. As soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning, it's over."

Part of me silently begs Audrina to shush me, and tell me I'm wrong. That it's not over. That she has a plan, and she'll get us out of this, like she always has. But she says nothing. For once in her life, Audrina is at a loss.

My heart sinks and my own words echo in my head.

There's nothing we can do.

It's too late.

It's over.

* * *

_But really, I honestly wanted to be you_  
_And I just hope my desire to wasn't that see through_  
_I never took into account the things that you were hiding_  
_I even understood your rage when I see you get violent_  
_I guess the height of all my envy was leaving me blinded_  
_Until you sat me down and told me how crazy your life is_  
_You said to run and never look back_

_Don't sell your soul, baby you are dirty gold_

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter is late, but it's twice as long as most of the other chapters, so I'm hoping that makes up for it! Enjoy Chapter 9! x**

**PS, everyone should go read my best friend Dom, aka Cosmoguy's, story _Year of Silence_. He's an amazing author, and if you want to know more about Milla Fiori and the entire Fiori-Prescott family, you should definitely check it out!**

**_Born To Die_ blog: ****************************borntodie74 . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**Victors blog: ****thg-victors . blogspot . com (without the spaces)**

**Lyrics: Dirty Gold - Angel Haze**


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